


Reload Your Revolver

by lampsabout



Series: Everyone's New Killing Life [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Different Survivors, Different murders, F/F, M/M, Trans Female Fujisaki Chihiro, and ive scrubbed the thing clean from all of kodaka's bullshit, each character has been redesigned, hifumi yamada doesn't exist!, i decided my old dangan rewrite was garbage so IM MAKING IT AGAIN, im much more confident in my ability to actually Write Good now so we're doing take two kids!!, more lgbt rep cause i say so!, there are 20 students now because i wanted to, this is entirely self indulgent my friends, this is literally me just fucking with canon however i want
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-12 04:30:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 96,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20558279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lampsabout/pseuds/lampsabout
Summary: And Makoto froze. He didn’t feel anything. He didn’t hear, or breathe, or dare to move a muscle. Makoto watched the scene of chaos unfold in front of him with bated breath. A pit formed in his stomach. A painful, deleterious, noxious hole in his heart that ate away at his life. Makoto would come to know this as feeling simply as despair. A feeling that eats away and dries out a person, and leaves them as nothing but a shell of what they once were. After it’s done, then all that’s left of them is complete, total, all-encompassing Despair.





	1. Prologue: First Days are Always Awkward

**Author's Note:**

> time to rewrite my own rewrite lol
> 
> this was beta read by my friend freezing-kaiju.tumblr.com and two of my friends who dont have social medias!!

If Paradise were to be a place that wasn’t located within the infinite cosmos, nor within a realm unknowable by those living our normal lives on Earth, nor belonging to God, and God herself, it would be made of brick. Heaven, as we know it, would be made of brick and stone, and would be resting within the busy streets of Japan.

Nestled amongst the winding roads and shoving crowds, there would stand a grand academy, blazoned with black emblems, and cool orange brick. It’s massively tall walls and windows remind all those who gaze upon it of Hope. It reminds them of the future yet to come, and the past that has already passed. Right now, only one person is standing in front of this massive academy. That person’s name is Makoto Naegi. 

Hope’s Peak Academy has been an institution in Japan for a very long time. It trains only the brightest, strongest, most important and intelligent young people ever. The most elite. The most valuable, recognizable teenagers in all of the country, even all of the world, mayhaps! There are only two requirements to be able to enter Hope’s Peak.

  1. You must have already been enrolled in a High School, and completed one year.
  2. You must be the absolute best at whatever it is you do.

Whether your voice can touch millions and break glass, or if you can paint a masterpiece within a minute, whatever you do, you must be the very best at it. Called, “Ultimate Talents” you MUST have one if you wish to enroll at Hope’s Peak. After all, graduating from there guarantees a stable and prosperous future.

The massive pillar of strength stands tall, it’s intimidating shadow cast over the small figure of Makoto Naegi. He lets out a shaky sigh. Now, Makoto Naegi was different. He was to be apart of the 78th class at Hope’s Peak Academy. Which, means he should have a talent. But that’s just the thing. Makoto Naegi is totally, completely unmistakeably, average.

Makoto was, by definition, average. He excelled at little, having average grades, average looks, average running speed, average fashion, average everything. People looked right through him. He was a perfect doormat for anyone to walk on. While all of this is true, Makoto could only note one thing he was good at.

Makoto was extremely lucky, but never at things he wanted to be lucky at. He vividly remembers when he was 7, his sister Komaru dragged him to their local zoo. Makoto walked in just behind her and was deemed the 1,000th person to enter the zoo that day. This earned him a year’s supply of the gross, awful tasting ice cream they sold there. (Komaru wouldn’t let it go for weeks. That ice cream happened to be her favorite food).

So why, was Makoto standing in front of the gates of Hope’s Peak Academy? The answer was simple. He was lucky.

Every year, Hope’s Peak Academy holds a raffle. One student out of the millions of students in Japan is randomly selected, and invited to Hope’s Peak as the “Ultimate Lucky Student”.

This year, Makoto Naegi happened to be Lucky. And here he was. Standing outside of Hope's Peak Academy. A mortal in the realm of gods.

He takes a deep breath. He takes a step forward and places a hand on the cool metal of the main gate. His shaking fingers unhook the latch from the gate, grasping a rod of the steel and agonizingly slowly, pulling the gate back from it’s resting position.

His sneakers carry him forward, his head ringing from anxiety. His green eyes stare straight ahead, already afraid to turn back. The doors get ever closer, those glorious doors. He pushes open the pearly gates and is greeted by the sound of his rubber soles squeaking against the Linoleum.

Looks like he’s the first one here. No other Ultimate Students seem to be in the entrance hall. That was fair, glimpsing at his watch, he was 30 minutes early before the first day officially started. He sighed, sitting himself down on the floor and pulling his phone from the pocket of his windbreaker. He began to scroll absentmindedly, sighing.

This felt wrong. Makoto didn’t deserve to be in these halls. Hope’s Peak wasn’t for him. It was for people with talent. Good, important people. Not like Makoto.

He blinked a few times, before a throbbing pain erupted through his head. He tried to blink it away, but the pain only worsened. The world was spinning. It was as if the floor had been removed from underneath his feet and he was falling into an endless abyss of darkness below.

He heard shouting. Angered, distressed, pleading shouting that desperately wanted help and refuge. That wanted peace and needed to be safe. His whole body shook. His brain threatened to break under the sheer weight of whatever this was. What had he done wrong? What had he done to deserve this?

Then, Makoto woke up, his forehead pressed to a cool desk. He tilted his head up, his eyes hurting from the overhead lights in the room he was located in. He rubbed at his eyes, running a hand through his hair. His whole body still felt like it was asleep. Groggy, like waking up after a long nap and realizing you are definitely more tired then you were when you first went to sleep.

He stood up, and took in his surroundings. It looked like he was in some sort of classroom. The wallpapers were a garish leopard print, while all the desks were even and orderly in straight, clean rows. The blackboard at the front of the room was perfectly clean, almost brand new. The thing that told him something was wrong were the windows.

The windows were sealed. Thick, heavy metal was completely fused to the wall, no way of getting in or out. And, by looking straight up, Makoto could see the very obvious ceiling mounted Security Camera. It was following his every move. Makoto shook his head. He resolved himself to at least opening the door and leaving the room. Maybe then he could find someone and figure out what was going on.

He had to be inside Hope’s Peak, right? There would be no other logical explanation for why he woke up on a desk in a classroom. Maybe walking into the school was just an elaborate dream, and he was just snoozing off in class. Yeah! That was it! He was just late for his next class, and fell asleep! Falling through the floor or whatever that was just happened inside of a nightmare. Nothing more, nothing less.

Makoto, feeling quite confident that this was simply his first day in the Academy, conveniently forgot about the quite abnormal steel plates over the windows, and the large mounted security cameras, neither of which were visible from the outside of the school, but definitely should be.

He pushed open the door of the classroom, stepping out into the hallway. The floor was still linoleum, the same material as the entrance hall even. His shoes squeaked against it as he moved, the hallway eerily still. Had class really begun this quickly? Man, he ust have been asleep for awhile. Maybe they were all at their dorm rooms already! Makoto just had to find it, and then he could get his missed classwork from a classmate! Yeah, that would be it! Everything was going to be just fine.

Makoto thought this for approximately 0.4 more seconds before he heard a voice scream.

“Hey! You! What the hell are you doing?!” Shouted a girl’s voice. Makoto turned around to face the source of the voice, which turned out to be a girl with bright red hair down to her back, in long spiky curls. She wore a light gray winter coat, and a black dress shirt. She had several pistol holders strapped over her cream colored slacks. She wears brown boots, and black gloves.

“M-me? I was just looking for the dorm rooms, haha! Any idea where they are?” Makoto asked, a little terrified.

“Ugh! Aren’t you more concerned with the fact that we’re trapped inside here?!” She screamed, pacing around him.

“Trapped? Isn’t that a bit of a stretch to make?” Makoto gave a nervous laugh.

“Sorry, haven’t you seen the windows?! They’re completely blocked off. Both of my pistols are gone, and those security cameras do not seem up to school code. It’s obviously a kidnapping!” The girl fumed, her anger as red hot as her hair.

“I guess you’re right…” Makoto sighed. “Well, uh, who are you then?” The girl made an angry grumble.

“I’m Kotomi Ikuta. Ultimate Sharpshooter. That enough for you?” She grumbled.

Ultimate Sharpshooter?! This girl was an Ultimate?! Well, she also showed up at the school, presumably to enroll, so… “A-Are you one of my classmates?”

Kotomi seemed taken aback by this. “You mean YOU’RE an Ultimate?” She said, mouth agape. “I find that hard to believe.”

“You are here at Hope’s Peak to be a student though, right?” Makoto asked. Kotomi looked from side to side.

“Yeah, that’s right. 78th class.” She blinked a few times. “But, you don’t have anything special going on there. I’ll believe you’re an Ultimate when I see it.”

“But! You have to believe me! I’m Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student!” The title felt strange right after his name. It was foreign for his voice to say such a confident declaration, especially in front of someone as intimidating as Kotomi.

“Oh. So you don’t have a real talent.” Kotomi stated. “Shame. I was hoping you would surprise me.” She brushed her hair out of her face and pushed past him, speed-walking down the hallway behind them.

“A-Ah! Wait!” Makoto pleaded, starting after her. But Kotomi seemed worlds away. Damn, did the Ultimate Sharpshooter _ really _have to be that fast? “Geez, share some talent with the rest of us…”

Makoto took a minute to catch his breath, before standing up upright and continuing his way down the hallway.

The school corridors were empty, scarily so. The walls were devoid of posters, anything aside from the signs indicating classroom doors. Makoto sighed, but kept walking. He felt like crying.

He should find someone. Reach out and try to find someone else in this school. Someone who preferably wasn’t Kotomi.

He rounded a corner, and his prayers were answered. There, standing under the neon overhead lights, were two people.

The first was a girl with two dark blue ponytails that reached her upper back. She wore a cream colored collared t-shirt, with pink accents and a knee-length blue skirt, and black leggings with heart shaped cut-outs on the knees. She wore white dress shoes that clicked when they moved, and had a pink headset on her head.

The other was a boy wearing what Makoto could barely determine as a baseball jersey, which appeared to have been spray painted black, and assaulted with pins, loops, and sewn on patches. He wore a jarringly white punk shirt underneath, advertising some band he didn’t recognize. In addition, he had on ripped torn jeans with sneakers. His neon orange hair was almost luminescent under the overhead lights, with hints of brown roots starting to show at the base of his head.

“Hello?” Makoto tried, waving over to the pair of them nervously.

The girl turned to him. “Hmm? Oh! Another person!” She smiled, walking over to him. “I’m Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Idol! You must be another student, right?”

“Y-yeah! I’m Makoto Naegi, and I’m,” He stopped himself. Maybe he shouldn’t introduce himself as an Ultimate. It would just let her down when he finished his sentence.

“The Ultimate Lucky Student, right?” Sayaka finished. Makoto’s mouth fell open, blinking in surprise.

“How did you know that?!” He shouted, messing with the bracelets on his wrist.

“Haha, it’s easy! I’m Psychic.” Sayaka winked, putting a finger on her cheek.

“WAIT, REALLY?!” Leon shouted from behind them. “I don’t think you’re magic or whatever…”

“I’m not, Leon! I just have good intuition.” Sayaka chided. “I read about you in the news while I was researching my future classmates.” She giggled behind her hand. “Why don’t you introduce yourself, Leon?”

The orange haired boy sauntered forward, hands shoved in his ruined pockets. “Name’s Leon Kuwata.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Makoto Naegi.” Makoto shook his hand, as Leon averted his eyes away from Makoto’s smiling face. “I take it you’re also an Ultimate?”

Leon bristled. “Yeah, somethin like that.” He spat, scratching at his forehead with chipped black painted fingernails.

“Ah, that’s right. Leon isn’t a fan of his talent, isn’t that right?” Sayaka mentioned, leaning forward into their conversation.

Leon scoffed. “I’m recognized as the Ultimate Baseball Star. It’s annoying and I hate it.” Leon sighed in annoyance. “Rather leave it at that, ya feel?”

“Ah. I’m sorry!” Makoto apologized. “I won’t bring it up again, I promise.” Leon side-eyed him.

“Thanks.” Leon gave a small smile.

“THAT IS ABSOLUTELY UBSURD!!” A voice barked down the hallway.

“Ahhh shut your mouth already!” Another voice spat. “I’ve heard you talk enough already.”

“What’s that? More people?” Leon inquired, stepping past Makoto, hands still shoved in his pockets.

“Sounds like it. Angry people too.” Sayaka brushed past Leon, already starting down the hallway. Makoto followed behind them in a tight line.

“Ah! You there!” A boy with short spiky black hair shouted. “You all are also apart of Class 78th of Hope’s Peak Academy, am I mistaken?!” He had a formal white outfit with golden buttons trailing it on, as well as a red armband and black shoulder pads. His white were pants tucked into thigh-high black boots with white shoelaces.

“Correct!” Sayaka smiled. “You’re…..Ishimaru, right?” The boy grinned wide, revealing a gap in his front two teeth.

“Absolutely!” He bowed. “My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru! I am the Ultimate Hall Monitor! It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.

“Nice to meet ya.” Leon interjected.

“Nice to meet you!” Makoto smiled.

“I hope we’ll get to know eachother! I’m Sayaka, by the way.” Sayaka finished, shaking his hand.

“It’s so great to have company less ...distasteful than Miss Enoshima here.” He huffed. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

The girl behind him scoffed loudly. “I can introduce myself on my own, you dweeb.” She spat. As she came closer into Makoto’s view, he was shocked at her outfit choice. The girl’s white button up blouse had the first few buttons undone, along with a pink bowtie undone around her neck. Her pink miniskirt was over a pair of white leggings with a heart pattern. Her high heeled boots were red and white.

“Did you seriously just call him a dweeb.” Leon exhaled. Makoto noted he had a septum piercing.

“Yeah? What about it, punk?” She fired back, leaning forward and putting her hands on her hips.

“MISS ENOSHIMA!!!” Kiyotaka shouted, interrupting the conversation. “You too, Mister Kuwata! I will not stand for such childish rivalry!”

Enoshima loudly groaned. “Name’s Junko Enoshima. Ultimate Fashionista. You’ve prolly seen my face before, somewhere.”

Sayaka perked up. “Oh! Yeah!! I’ve seen you before! We might have been at the same photoshoot, funny thing!”

“Ahaha, yeah.” Junko gave a forced laugh. “You were the one in the frilly pink shit right?”

“Mmhm! It’s weird though. You look kinda different then you do on magazine covers and stuff.” Sayaka pondered.

“Oh yeah….Those pics are edited to hell and back. With computers and junk?” Junko blatantly said, twirling a perfectly manicured finger through her blonde hair.

“Ah. I suppose that makes sense.” Sayaka resigned. “You’re still totally cute in person, though!” She giggled, cocking her head to the side.

Junko blushed. “Yeah, yeah, whatever ya say.” She turned her face to the side, Makoto noticing a smattering of freckles highlighted by the pink dusting her features.

“Not to break the mood, but do any of you know what happened? With the windows being blocked and everything?” Makoto tried, hoping Junko or Kiyotaka knew more than him.

“Nah. Tried kicking the window plates but all I got was a scuffed boot. Those bastards aren’t comin off anytime soon.” Junko said.

“The windows are indeed quite troubling!” Kiyotaka affirmed. “But I have no doubt Hope’s Peak Academy has a fair and good reason for keeping such troubling devices within their grounds!”

“I don’t know, it seems pretty suspicous to me.” Leon stated. “I mean, it’s a fuckin’ school. Don’t know if it’s exactly regulation to be boarding the place up.”

“Well, Hope’s Peak is far from an orthodox school!” Kiyotaka affirmed. “It wouldn’t be stranger than it’s usual business practices.”

“Yes, but then why wouldn’t those plates be visib-” Sayaka’s words were cu off by a resounding gunshot further down the hallway, accompanied by loud shouting.

“Who the fuck would have a gun?!” Leon shouted. “Where would someone even GET a gun?!” The only person to come to Makoto’s mind would be Kotomi.

“Why are we just standing here?!” Sayaka responded, already starting down the hallway. Makoto and the others followed behind Sayaka, turning the corner of the hallway.

There, standing under the neon lights were a pair of people. Makoto instantly recognized one of them as Kotomi Ikuta. The other was a mystery to him. She wore a black, long sleeved blazer, a string of bows covering the forearm sleeve. A joker card was tucked neatly into her breast pocket. Under that blazer, she wore a black blouse with a white criss-cross pattern with a red tie tied neatly around her neck. She wore a large, black hoop skirt adorned with patterns reminiscent of a roulette table, with white lace lining the edges. Her hair was done in reasonably sized drills of hair, tied up with massive red and white bows. On her right index finger is a silver claw ring. She had long black knee socks with white lace and bows, under bright red ruby heels. Adorning her hair are several charms with hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds. She adjusted the monocle sitting on her left eye.

“Try that again!” Kotomi spat, aiming the revolver in her hand at the other girl’s head.

“Oh please.” She said, a thick germanic accent lacing her words like poison. “Like that little toy scares me. Try something else, darling. I’m a critic that’s very hard to please.”

Kotomi flinched, blinking in surprise, before quickly gathering her mind and adjusting her weapon. “Stop messin’ with me! Whose the one with the loaded weapon here?!” The girl in black rolled her eyes, her ruby red heels clicking on the floor as she walked forward and held the weapon straight to her forehead.

“Try me, then.” She spoke. “I bet you won’t pull the trigger.” Her face remained the same. Perfectly done make-up shining under the lights, reflecting onto the shining metal of Kotomi’s six-shooter.

Kotomi gulped, her hand visibly shaking. She dropped the weapon to the ground, as the other girl cackled above her. “I don’t know what I expected! Surely not the Ultimate Sharpshooter to be so hesitant to fire her weapon of choice.”

The redhead bristled, holstering her weapon and collecting herself. She rocketed to the ground, dashing for the girl in black as she approached the other students watching in awe.

Kotomi grabbed onto her wrist, holding her in place. “Why, that’s rather presumptive of you Miss Ikuta. I must admit, I’m flattered, but you’re not my type I’m afraid.” Kotomi blushed crossing her arms as the girl approached the rest of the group.

“What the fuck was all that?” Junko spat, hands on her hips. “Mind explaining who you are?”

The girl laughed. “It would be my pleasure.” She cleared her throat. “My name is Celestia Ludenberg. However, you may address me as Celeste. You should feel honored.”

“That’s stupid.” Leon spat. “That name sounds totally made up.”

Celeste tilted her head. “Why assume that? It’s awfully mean of you to assume a fact about someone from appearances alone. It reflects poorly on your character to make such terrible accusations, Leon Kuwata.”

Leon blinked in surprise. “U-um, Celeste?” Makoto asked.

“Hmm?” She responded, folding her hands at her waist.

“Sorry if this is rude, but could I ask what your talent is?” Makoto asked. To be honest, he was rather curious to learn about everyone here.

“It’s no problem, Makoto.” She said, over-pronouncing his name. “I am the Ultimate Gambler. I have completely dominated any and all fields of gambling in Japan and otherwise.”

“GAMBLING?!” Kiyotaka screeched. “I WILL NOT STAND FOR SUCH ILLICIT ACTIVITES INSIDE SUCH RESPECTED HALLS! HOPE’S PEAK ACADEMY WILL NOT BE TAINTED BY YOUR CRIME!” He shouted, getting right up in Celeste’s face. It would have been a lot more intimidating, if not for the fact that Kiyotaka’s face barely came up to Celeste’s shoulder. She simply pushed him away with one hand.

“Aside from that, it’s a pleasure to meet all of you.” Celeste smiled, placing her folded hands under her chin. Celeste turned on her heel, and clinked away on the waxed floors.

\---

“Who the fuck does that bitch think she is?” Junko spat, after Celeste had left out of earshot, Kiyotaka shouting orders at her down the hallway.

“Some kind of supervillain, apparently.” Leon responded, running a hand through his spiked up hair.

“I guess that’s just how you act when you’re the Ultimate Gambler!” Sayaka laughed.  
“Still, it’s not exactly uplifting why she’s one of the first people you meet after falling asleep.” Makoto groaned, scratching at his forehead.

“None of this is uplifting, what the fuck are you on about?!” Junko shouted. “That chick’s got a gun, we all just passed out randomly, there’s that goth strutting around, who KNOWS how many other students there are-”

“He! Speaking of that, maybe we should split up! Properly explore the school, you know?” Sayaka offered, grabbing onto Junko’s arm, smiling.

“I-I guess,” Junko coughed.

“Let’s use the buddy system!” Sayaka said, her arms not moving from around Junko’s. “We’re in a random hallway, and I’m pretty sure there is more building over to the left. Me and Junko will explore to the left, and Makoto and Leon will explore to the right! After that, we’ll switch! Sound good?”

Makoto and Leon nodded their approval.

“Great! Let’s go, everyone!”

\---

Makoto and Leon exited the hallway, keeping an eye out for any students they may not have been introduced to yet.

“Shit, we’re gonna have to look through all these rooms, huh.” He groaned, visibly deflating.

“Seems so!” Makoto added, pointing down the hallway. His finger was aimed at a door labeled ‘AV Room’. “Let’s check in there! Maybe there’s an Ultimate DJ or something.” Leon laughed at his joke, as Makoto held open the neon orange door.

The AV Room was just as orange as it’s entrance, rows upon rows of CD Players with small screens. A large projection screen was set up at the end of the room, with a projector interrupting the aisle downwards.

“Hello?” He tried, seeing if there was anyone inside the room. No response. “HELLO?” Nothing.

Leon pushed him to the side. “HEY! ANYONE IN HERE?!” A small shout of surprise from one of the DVD players alerted the pair to someone’s presence. They walked over, to see a girl trying to gather a stack of papers she had dropped onto the floor.

She wore a black blazer over a white and grey collared dress shirt, with a red necktie, and half moon black-framed glasses. She has a calf-length brown skirt with black knee socks on, while her hair is tied into a pair of long brown braids, with random hairs sticking out all over the place. She grumbled obscenities under her breath, pushing hair out of her face while she gathers up pens and papers. “CONGRATS, DICKWAD! You two chucklefucks totally ruined my concentration!”

“Hey, no need to be fucking rude!” Leon spat, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Not my fault you totally messed up my flow!” She shouted, her hands feathering through her papers, slapping a stack of papers onto a DVD player. “I hate all of you so fucking much it’s unreal.”

“Geez…” Makoto mumbled. “Well, uh, my name’s Makoto Naegi! What’s yours?” He offered her a hand. She looked at his hand like someone was handing her a dead rat. She cringed.

“What are you tryna pull?” She spat, standing up and swatting Makoto’s hand down. “Fine. My name’s Touko Fukawa. Ultimate Romance Novelist. We done here?”

“Romance Novelist? Didn’t get that from your ...simply delightful personality.” Leon said.

“Yeah?! And what the hell are you then?! Ultimate Punk Bitch?” She said, leaning forward with her hands on her hips.

“Hey! I’ll have you know that-”

“It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Touko! This is Leon!” Makoto interrupted, desperately not wanting to conversation to continue past that. Toko grumbled, stacking up her papers as Makoto ushered Leon out of the room.

\---

“Hey! I was about to put that girl in her place!” Leon said, upon leaving the AV Room.

“Yeah, but you really didn’t need to! Toko just seems like the type of person to just get madder and madder once she gets started.” Makoto said, patting Leon on his shoulder.

“Whatever. Where to next.” He grumbled. Makoto looked around, scanning the hallway. His eyes locked onto a rich wooden door. 

“How about there?”

The room was dark. No light was visible on the inside, the only thing that alerted them to the presence of another human, was the brilliant light of a laptop screen, reflecting on the eyes of a small girl. Her hands soared across the keyboard, never interrupting the flow of her progress. She wore a fuzzy, forest green sweater over a red, plaid collared shirt, a knee-length brown skirt was draped over black leggings with green sprawling circuitry. Over her left shoulder was a black computer bag, and on one of her ever-typing hands was an arthritis brace. Her most likely tech-based talent was only confirmed by a black headset equipped to her head. She was still typing. one of her hands occasionally dipped away from the melodious typing of her keyboard to thumb honey-colored hair out of her face or rub her cheek.

“Hi?” Makoto tried, immeaditly altering the girl. She yelped, the constant sound of her typing leaving the equation right away. She slammed the top of the laptop shut, and shoved it into her laptop bag.

“A-AH! I’m sorry!” She looked up, making eye contact with the pair. Her body relaxed. “Oh, it’s just more of you.” She adjusted the strap of her back, fidgeting with her hair and collar. 

“More of us? Have you seen anyone else around here?” Leon asked.

“Only one other boy. He questioned me than ran off somewhere.” The girl responded.

“We’ll go look for him in a bit.” Makoto noted. “In the mean time, hello! My name’s Makoto Naegi, and I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student!”

“O-oh! My name’s Chihiro Fujisaki. I’m the Ultimate Programmer.” She said, quite happy to hear her own name.

“Leon Kuwata.” Leon said, giving a small wave. He nodded towards her laptop bag. “What were ya doing on that computer?”

Chihiro defensively moved the bag behind her, hands white-knuckling around the strap. “Private.”

\---

“So that totally wasn’t ominous and threatening, huh!” Leon sighed upon exiting the library.

“Don’t assume the worst about her, just because she’s got a laptop she doesn’t wanna show to people.” Makoto clarified.

“Ugh, whatever.” Leon groaned. “Let’s just look for that guy who interrogated her.” He pointed at the door closest to the library. “Great! School Store. Let’s go there.” He grabbed onto Makoto’s wrist, dragging him towards the door. He pushed it open, seeing two people inside.

The first was a shorter blonde boy. He wore a crisp two-piece brown suit with shiny, elaborate chains hanging from the lapel. He adjusted the high end silver glasses, resting on his face, his suit covered with various pins abd buttons that glinted in the light. A dark green necktie hung around his neck and he wore black dress pants with a golden belt.

The second was a girl with light purple hair, done up with various ribbons. wore a long, ankle length pink dress, with a lighter bow tied at her waist. Black opera gloves came to her elbows, and black flats clinked against the floor as she tapped her foot. Copious amounts of chain necklaces carried heavy on their neck, and chunky golden bracelets lay atop each other on her wrists.

“Ah! Hello!” Makoto exclaimed, and the two of them turned in an instant.

“Ugh. Another one.” The boy spat. “Do you have any idea of where we are? Why we’re in here?” Neither of them responded. “Useless. Get out of my sight.” The purple girl made a disgruntled noise, raising her hand and delivering a quick slap to the back of his head, sending his glasses to the ground. She cleared her throat.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She said, her voice prim and proper. “I apologize for Mr. Togami here. My name is Kiriko Nishizawa, The Ultimate Tailor. I do hope we will get along.”

Makoto, still shocked by the blonde boy scrambling for his glasses, cleared his throat and replied. “Ah! Nice to meet you too! I’m Makoto Naegi. This is Leon Kuwata!”

“Sup.” Leon added.

“Indeed. This here is-”

“I CAN INTRODUCE MYSELF!” The boy on the floor shouted, rocketing upward and fixing his glasses. He cleared his throat, dusting off his suit. “I’m Byakuya Togami, and I’m the Ultimate Heir.”

“Ultimate Heir?” Makoto asked. “What kind of talent is that?”

“I am the next in line for the head of the Togami Corp, one of the largest corporations this side of the earth. You should worship the ground I walk on, if we’re being perfectly honest. Thankfully, I’m a rather nice individual, so I won’t make you, but if it were anyone else? They wouldn’t hesitate.” Leon groaned loudly.

“Shut the fuck up, you self-entitled asshat.” Byakuya sputtered at Leon’s rough exclaimation, as Kiriko nodded in quiet agreement, delivering a quick kick to Byakuya’s shins.

“It’s great to meet both of you. I hope we can get along.” Kiriko smiled. Makoto let out a shaky laugh.

“Mmmhmm! See ya later, Kiriko!”

\---

“That was a disaster…” Makoto huffed. “We can’t get into fights with every other person we meet, Leon!”

“Maybe every other person we meet is a bitchass piece of garbage, Makoto!” Leon yelled.

“Pardon me!” A voice exclaimed. The two of them looked to the right, seeing a small girl dashing at them. She wore a black v-neck shirt with a white scarf around her neck. Long black arm-warmers wrapped around her arms, and she had on a white mini-skirt, with black leggings. She wears black flats, and wore her white hair in curly pigtails.

“Huh? Whaddya want.” Leon bluntly responded.

“I’m Iore Kitabayashi, and I would like to ask you if you know anything? Like where we are? Or why we were taken here?”

“Oh, well we’re pretty sure this is Hope’s Peak Academy.” Makoto explained. “No idea the reason we’re here though, sorry!”

Iore nodded. “Thank you both so much!”

“‘Pleasure. Now come on, Makoto.” Iore grabbed onto Makoto’s sleeve.

“Wait. Makoto? Like Makoto Naegi?” She asked.

“Y-yes? How did you know my name?” He asked, his voice cracking. Iore giggled.

“You’re the Ultimate Lucky Student! And judging by this fellow’s hair...he’s Leon Kuwata, Ultimate Baseball Star!”

“A-And? Why’re you so interested?” Iore laughed at Leon’s words.

“No reason! But, just so you know, and you didn’t hear this from me, but there are a fair amount of criminals here.”  
“What?!”

“A gambler, and a biker gang leader! There might even be a killer waiting in here!” She exclaimed. Makoto eyed her warily.

“O-Okay. Thanks.”

“No problem! Nice to meet you!” She called, skipping down the hallway. Leon leaned over to him.

“Did she ever say what her talent was?” He asked. Makoto shook his head.

\---

Leaving the hallway surrounding the Library, Makoto and Leon entered a wide open hall. The clean tiled floors and large white pillars let him know that this was the Main Entrance. A large bear statue stood in the center, as prominent as ever. But looking at what would usually be a pair of doors, Makoto’s eyes widened in fear.

The wall was plastered with cool dark metal. A massive vault-like door kept the wall trapped, numerous lines ot code and text flashing across the numerous screens lining the steel.Large mounted cameras were locked onto the door, never moving from the entrance. 

“You’re seein’ this, right?” Leon said, his voice shaky. Makoto only nodded, swallowing.

“Peculiar, right?” A girl said. Makoto turned to look at her. She was squatting on one knee down on the ground, her dark black gloves tracing over some text at the bottom of the large Bear Statue that sat in the middle of the room. She was so quiet, they didn’t even notice her. “To think that whoever did this to us would even bother to lock the door with such a large contraption. I’d think such over-the-top measures would do little for you, aside from taking a large sum from your wallet.”

“Sorry, who are you?” Leon asked, hands in his pockets. The girl made a small sound, standing to her full height. She moved into clear view, her lilac colored eyes blinking at Makoto. Her large, heavy, black trenchcoat wore in stark contrast to her simple white dress shirt, with an orange patterned tie hanging from her neck. A pair of black slacks, and brown slip-on shoes completed her ensemble, along with her black gloves, with silver studs in a simple 4-by-4 lining the back. Affixed to her belt were several tools, like a magnifying glass, and a wet-rag. Her blank white hair was tied into a single braid, draped over one shoulder.

“Kyoko Kirigiri.” She simply said, looking at the two of them for a second before crouching down again and returning to her previous task.

“So, uh, Kyoko,” Makoto started. “What’re you reading there?” Kyoko barely acknowledged him, just focusing on the plaque at the base of the statue.

“_ Ego viam inveniam aut faciam. _” She said, her fingers ghosting over the crisp golden letters.

“Whats that? Latin or some shit?” Leon unsubtly asked Makoto, as Kyoko cleared her throat, standing up.

“Translating to english, it means ‘I will find a way, or I will make one.’” Kyoko explained, scratching behind her ear. “I’m sure it’s supposed to be inspirational to the students at Hope’s Peak Academy, but in our current situation, it just reads like some sort of cruel joke.”

Makoto gazed up at the statue. It was a brilliant, golden grizzly bear. It’s fur glistened, despite not being real, as claws sharp and deadly. It’s teeth were bared, a salmon struggling to escape from it’s deadly maw, as water from the river stream splashed and batted around it. It kept moving despite it all, never stopping. A force none could defeat. “Does the statue have a name?” Makoto asked.

Kyoko nodded. “According to the plaque, it’s called the ‘Symbol of Strength’.” She explained. “Fitting.”

Makoto blinked. “Yeah.” A Symbol of Strength. A bear that could demolish everything in its path. An unstoppable, unconquerable, perfect symbol of strength. If Makoto could do anything right now, he would will that bear to tear down the vault door that kept him caged in this school, like an animal kept away from the outside world.

\---

Returning from the Entrance Hall, Leon and Makoto saw the forms of Sayaka and Junko walking together, coming from the “Dorm” area of the floor.

“Ah! Hello, Makoto!” Sayaka waved. “How’d things go? Any new info?” Makoto blinked a few times.

“Yeah! You can just see for yourself though.” He sighed.

Junko made a disgruntled noise. “And? Just tell is what we’re working with here, Makoto.”

Makoto pondered what they had just seen. All the students, the Symbol of Strength, and the vault door. “There aren’t any new exits! That’s all I meant.” Makoto stated. Junko gave him a side-eye, twirling her hair around her finger.

“Really?” Sayaka said flatly. “Just no new exits? Sure you didn’t see anything else around there Makoto? I’m psychic, remember?” She smiled, her dark blue eyes suddenly deep and unknown.

“Hey. Lay off Makoto, got it? It’s a stressful situation for all of us, kay?” Leon said, standing between Makoto and Sayaka. Sayaka’s smile faded, but she simply blinked and was suddenly fine.

“Ah! Okay, sorry to be disruptive, you two! See you later!” She cheered, throwing herself around Junko’s arm and walking past them. Makoto exhaled, walking with Leon into the Dorm Area.

Two people held a conversation in the wide open tiled clearing, with a few doors branching away. Long, door-lined hallways sat to the right of them, with nothing but a door marked “WAREHOUSE” to their right.

The first person was a smaller girl with brilliant pink hair. She kept a fluffy yellow hoodie tight around her body, the hood up around her head, with it’s large bunny ears perched atop. She had on a baggy pink t-shirt with a 20 sided die on it. Her black pleated skirt swayed with her movements, red knee socks slowly falling down her legs. Makoto really couldn’t look down, as her glittery light up sneakers hurt his eyes.

The second was a large boy with hair that really leapt off his face. His massive pompadour was dyed the color of honey, unrelated to his greasy black hair. His muscles bulged under his white scoop tank-top, which he wore under a heavy, high collared black coat with a extravagant logo marked “CRAZY DIAMONDS”. He wore baggy brown pants with black shoes, idly playing with his black and gold belt while he talked. His black fingerless gloves completed his ensemble.

“Look!!! All I’m saying is that the pompadour doesn’t help your Dexterity already!!” The girl whined. “You can’t live on strength alone! It’s not good for a balanced build!”

“KID! We’re in real life, first of all. Secondly, why would I need dexterity for riding a motorcycle.” The guy groaned.

“You never know what situations you’ll end up innnn!!!” She shouted, making an exaggerated sigh. She glanced around, her eyes landing on Leon. “YOU THERE, SIR!”

“Huh? Huh? What’s up-”

“I’m Aiko Umesawa, Ultimate Tabletop Roleplayer. You have any idea about your stats? Not to profile, but on a first impression you look like a chaotic nuetral type. Maybe lawful evil? Chaotic good at best? That accurate?”

“Look, lady, I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about-”

“Mmmhmm, anyway, class. Warlock? The piercings make me think barbarian, but the hair SCREAMS rogue.” She ponders, rubbing at her chin as she wonders.

“I’m very confused on what we’re talking about right now.” Leon responded. Aiko grumbled in frustration.

“It’s a simple question! Gimme something already! Class, boons, weapon of choice! Alignment! You’re killing me here!!” The other boy stomped up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, lay off em, Aiko.” The girl turned on him, her mismatched eyes blinking up at him with confused fury.

“I am just asking SIMPLE, BASIC questions! And these two are refusing to cooperate with me!!” She shouted, jabbing a finger in Makoto’s face.

“What are we talking about?” Makoto asked, as Aiko sighed loudly.

“I am the Ultimate Tabletop Roleplayer, and the Ultimate Tabletop Roleplayer must ALWAYS be in character!! Is it too much to ask to get people to play along?!” She fumed, asking no one in particular.

“Oh, well, I would, but I really don’t know anything about Dungeons and Dragons or anything-” Makoto started, as Aiko got up in his face.

“Well we can fix that little mistake later! You only had to say so. Now, Mondo, I think you look like a Barbarian, myself, but it’s up to you in the end, really.” She started, as the boy named Mondo ignored her.

“Anyway. Name’s Mondo Oowada. Ultimate Biker Gang Leader.” He said,sniffing loudly.

“BIKER GANG LEADER?!” Makoto screamed, before slamming his hands over his mouth. “I-I I’m sosorrymisteroowadasirpleasedontkillme” he rambled out, over-doing a bow in respect.

Mondo made a hearty laugh, his voice booming through the dorm area. “I like you, kid. No need for formalities or any of that shit. Mondo’s fine. Don’t piss me off and I’m sure we’ll get along great.”

Makoto, now blushing heavily at being called ‘kid’, threw in one last apology as he and Leon ventured into the Dining Hall.

\---

The dining hal was excellently furnished. Long, rectangular lunch tables sat in neat rows, with a few additional round tables scattered along the edges. A door at the far northern wall let him know there was an attached kitchen, and the-

The window. The window wasn’t blocked. He could see trees and the sky. Clouds, plains, the _ outside world _. “Are you seeing this, Leon?” Makoto squeaked out, his breath hitching.

“It’s fake.” Said a gravelly voice to their right. Makoto’s eyes followed the sound to see a pair of girls sitting at one of the round tables, seemingly sharing a box of donuts and what looked like protein shakes.

The first of which was exceedingly muscular, scars littering her brown skin. Her stringy white hair was kept back in a long ponytail, tied with a flower shaped bow. She wore a light pink karate gi, with a light pink miniskirt in addition. Her shoes were clearly designed to be tactile,the same was true for the black gloves she wore.

The second was significantly shorter, she wore a white tank-top with Gutetama on it, with a red track jacket tied around her waist. Her jean shorts were cut-off so the pockets could be seen, which contrasted the fish scale knee band she wore. A lesbian pride bracelet dangled around her wrist, as she messed with the swimming goggles around her neck. Her brown hair was kept up in an bun.

“Sorry to be the ones to break the bad news to you two.” The second girl said, giving a sad smile.

“Precisely. It’s rather unfortunate, but it’s just paint. Yet another cruel joke.” The first one responded, taking a swig of her drink.

“Oh.” Leon sighed, dejected. “Gotcha.”

“But! On a lighter note!” The shorter girl said, standing up. “Name’s Aoi Asahina, Ultimate Swimmer!”

“N-nice to meet you!” Makoto responded. “I’m Makoto Naegi. Ultimate Lucky Student.”

“Ooo!!” Hina gasped in awe. “You ever won the lottery? Or are you just good at making it into the best school in the country?”

Makoto hid his face behind the collar of his hoodie. “Stop it, you’re making me blush!”

Aoi giggled. “What about you?” She turned to Leon. “Got a name?”

“Leon Kuwata.”

“Cool! I’ll do my best to remember both your names! My brother always says, that if you wanna remember someone’s name, you gotta write it three times on your hand, then count to five! That way, you’ll never forget!” Hina cheered enthusiastically, plucking a donut from the box and digging into it.

“Heh.” The muscular girl smiled at the swimmer. “My name’s Sakura Oogami, if Hina would let me get a word in.” She stood to her full height, towering over all 5 feet and 2 inches of Makoto. “My talent is the Ultimate Martial Artist. I’m a master of almost every field, in case you’re interested.”f

Thoroughly intimidated, Makoto held out his hand to be shaken. “A-as you heard, I’m Makoto Naegi! Haha! I’m lucky, I guess!”

Sakura laughed, vigorously shaking his hand to the point it almost hurt. Not that that was intentional, but damn it sure did hurt. “I hope we can get along.” Sakura nodded. “Same to you, Leon. Stay out of trouble.”  
“Rude.” Leon mumbles under his breath. “Same.” He says to Sakura.

“Off topic, but did either of you see anyone else in the dorm area?” Makoto asked.

Sakura thinks for a moment. “No one aside from Mondo and Aiko just outside.”

“When I was in the warehouse finding these donuts,” she paused, taking another bite of the chocolate glaze in her hand. “I heard some people talking! Maybe check there?”

“Thanks! We’ll see ya later!” Makoto waved, Leon giving a small salute as the two of them left the dining hall.

\---

The Warehouse was much larger on the inside than it appeared to be on the outside. A thin, yet tall, dark blue door stood there next to the dining hall, marked with a large red sign that said “WAREHOUSE”.

In stark contrast to the inconspicuous door, the warehouse itself was vast and massive. Endless stacks of shelves covered any image of the gray walls, pumped to the brim with miscellanous tools and objects that seemed to be strewn about with no particular regard to any kind of organization.

“Yo, Makoto, this place is wild right?” Leon broke the silence, turning over a crystalline quarter he had plucked from a shelf.

“Yeah...it’s straight out of a movie…” Makoto spoke, his voice quiet, in awe of the sheer amount of items in the warehouse.

“Makoto! Come check this out!” Leon shouted, staring into a large crystal ball. It’s reflectivity was seemingly muddled by a large brown cloud of some sort, making it hard to see through the object.

“Is it broken?” Makoto asked, leaning in further, trying desperately not to think about how close he and Leon are.

“Nah, just dirty.” Leon said, spitting into his hand and wetting the bottom of his shirt. “I’ll see if I can clean it off. Makoto supressed a blush as Leon held up the bottm of his shirt, grabbing the ball off the shelf. Surprsingly, the cloud did not move with it, as the “cloud” seemed to be a guy and his large head of hair.

The guy was a lot taller than either of the other two boys, wearing a ratty white tank-top under a large black coat around his shoulders, held on with a pair of yellow ribbons. Baggy brown pants hung loose around his waist, one of his black sandles half off as he rose to his feet. The “Brown Cloud” was his dreadlocked hair, pushed up against the wall, and frayed out.

“Jeez, man! I was looking at that!” He whined, walking around the shelf and grabbing the ball, rubbing it off with his coat. “You better not’ve scuffed it up.”

“I literally just held it up!” Leon exclaimed. “How could I have possibly messed it up?”

“I don’t know! Things like this are super duper sensitive! You can’t go messing with them!!” He protested, scowling at Leon.

“Look, who are you anyway? I’m guessing your a student, but…” Makoto started, taking a moment to judge the aggressive stubble on the guy’s face, along with his height. “You look a little old to be a teenager.”

“Good eye! I’m 21.” He said, laughing heartily.

“HUH?! Who let you attend a high school then?!” Makoto shouted, as the man bent over, laughing even harder.

“I wasn’t the brightest in my younger years. Got held back a few grades, you know the deal. But, my talent was enough to get me attending here! Name’s Yasuhiro Hagakure, and I’m the Ultimate Clairvoyant!”

“Ah!” Makoto responded. “Well, my name’s Makoto Naegi. Nice to meet you!” He responded, Yasuhiro shaking his hand.

“Ultimate Clairvoyant?” Leon asked. “So you tell the future?”

“He tells blatant lies, more like.” A girl’s voice called from somewhere in the warehouse, walking out from behind a shelf, holding a long, thin piece of wood in one hand. She tucked a strand of curly platinum blonde hair behind her left ear, threading a string around the wooden piece. The girl wore a black turtleneck under a cream sweater, wool covered in visibe fuzz. Half moon glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, which were slowly slipping down as she focused on her task at hand. Her white dress pants swished as she moved, accented by the clacking of black dress shoes against the ground.

“Hey! No need to be rude!” Yasuhiro protested, crossing his arms over his chest. The girl laughed lightly in response.

“Apologies, Mr. Hagakure.” She smiled, tilting her head to the side. “I swear I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m just not one to believe in the supernatural, you could say.”

“Ah, okay.” He side-eyed her. “Just don’t go questioning me if I get a miraculous vision.”

“Of course. I’ll keep your feelings in mind the next time!” She smiled. “Anyway, I should introduce myself, yes? My name is Tsubasa Kamii. I am the Utimate Violinist.”

“Violinist? Is that what you’re doing with that wooden thing?” Leon sid, jabbing at the item in her hands.

“Indeed. There was a shocking lack of violin bows here, so I felt the need to craft a makeshift one! An Ultimate must always be practicing of course. I’d wager that you two are…” She pondered for a moment, glancing at Makoto and Leon. “Makoto Naegi and Leon Kuwata, yes?”

“Yup! Nice to meet you, Tsubasa!”

“Got it in one.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both! I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.”

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

“What was that?” Leon asked, looking to the ceiling.

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

The crackle of speakers filled the air. A microphone’s feedback rang throughout the warehouse, and likely the entire school. For a few seconds, the world stood still. Not a person moved. Breathing stopped. The only thing Makoto could hear was his heartbeat beating like a drum in his ears.

_ “Ahem! Ahem! Testing, Testing! One, Two!!” _ A voice said. In truth, Makoto was hesitant to even call it a voice. It wasn’t human, that much was clear. The voice was grating, like the grinding of gears, invading everyone’s heads. _ “Can you hear me??? Helloooooooo???????????” _ It cleared its throat and spoke up, it’s voice broadcasting louder. _ “Well, if all you students could report to the first floor Gymnasium, that’d be jussssssttttt swell!! Run along now, little students! Don’t keep me waiting!!!!!!” _and the announcement cut out just as quickly as it had come on.

“What the fuck was that.” Leon bluntly stated, running a hand through his hair.

“No idea.” Tsubasa supplied. “Though it would be wise to do as it says, yes?”

“B-but!! What if it tries to kill us or something!! I’m too young to die!!” Yasuhiro yelped.

“I’m not sure we have that much of a choice,” Tsubasa answered, walking outside of the warehouse, motioning for the others to follow.

Makoto and Leon left the warehouse with a hesitant Yasuhiro at their backs, joining the congregation of students entering the gymnasium one by one. Makoto weaved all the way from the dorm area, passing by Sakura and Aoi as he walked by the entrance hall, casting a scared glance at the Symbol of Strength, wishing it could protect him right now.

The gym itself was massive. Rows upon rows of grey bleachers lined the space, a sheerly massive gym with a large stage, complete with a podium. Rows of folding chairs was set up for an assembly, but none of the 19 students sat down.

“Is this it?” Celestia stated, hands folded at her waist. “I was expecting more of a crowd to show up to.”

“Precisely. There should be a welcome party for such excellent students like us. Me, especially.” Byakuya boasted.

“Shut your trash-hole you pitiful pile of shit.” Touko spat, elbowing him in the side, sending him to the ground.

“Touko!” Sayaka protested, kneeling to the ground to help Byakuya up. “We can’t fight each other!”

“Thank you, Sayaka. But I will have to fine you for dirtying my suit.” The second Byakuya finished talking Sayaka dropped him to the ground.

“So?! Where the fuck is the guy from the PA? Isn’t there supposed to be some big bad here?!” Mondo shouted, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“MR. OOWADA! NO CURSING!” Kiyotaka protested.

“FUCK ASS SHIT DAMN BITCH-” Junko shouted in response, screaming right into Taka’s ear, as he entered a shouting match with her, Mondo laughing in the background.

“Look, all I’m saying is I can homebrew you a songstress class! It’s perfect!” Aiko cheered, tailing Sayaka.

“W-what?! WHO worships ghosts?!” Yasuhiro screamed, at Iore, who kept her usual straight smile.

“Touko! I saw her drawing pentagrams earlier today-” She whispered before Touko turned her ire on the pair.

“BULLSHIT! I NEVER-” Her voice was cut off by a sharp whistle from Kyoko.

“Will all of you just shut up?” She stated, cool and collected as always. “Just, stop talking, please. Hearing all your voices at once is physically painful.” Kyoko breathed in and out, then walked up to the stage. “We’re all here! That’s what you wanted right? Show yourself already.”

A few seconds passed before Makoto blinked, and a single stuffed bear sat on top of the podium. On it’s left side, it was as white as snow, with cute button eyes and an adorable smile. But on it’s right, it was pitch black. A wide red gash exposing neon lights for eyes, with a villainous grin revealing sinister intent.

“A..plushie?” Chihiro whispered. “It’s...just a plushie.”

“Aww, look at the lil guy! He’s kinda cute!” Kotomi gushed.

“I’ll go check it out.” Sakura offered, stepping towards the stage. “Wonder why they just put a teddy bear out-”

“I’M NOT A TEDDY BEAR, FOR GOD’S SAKES!!!!” The bear screamed, standing up and waddling down to the floor.

“WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT THE FUCK” Leon protested, latching onto Sayaka’s sleeve.

“IT MOVED?! EVERYONE ELSE SAW IT MOVE, RIGHT?!” Junko screeched, putting a fist in front of her mouth, risking her pristinely manicured nails.

“Is it some kind of robot?! AI?!” Chihiro wailed, trying to retract into her sweater.

“How intriguing! What kind of elaborate puppetry could such a toy require?” Kiriko inquired.

“Would you kids just SHUTTTT UP??? JEEZ LOUISE!!” The bear whined. “Millennials, I tell ya!”

“Explain yourself.” Kyoko stated, making direct eye contact with the thing.

“Well! You can address me as Mr. Monokuma!!” It cheered, giggling a strange, off-key giggle. “Puhuhuhu, in case you weren’t aware, I’m this academy’s headmaster!!!”

“For some reason I find that hard to believe.” Celeste chided, laughing behind her hand like some kind of anime villain.

“Don’t you dare disrespect your headmaster, Miss Ludenberg!” Monokuma whirred, it’s inhuman voice grumbling.

“Spit it out already.” Kyoko grumbled. “If you’re this academy’s headmaster, then you should know why we’re here. I take it you’re the one who trapped us in this school?”

“Got it in one, Miss Kirigiri!!! Yes, yes indeed, I trapped you here. For one very special, special purpose.” Monokuma laughed, it’s voice suddenly dark.

“A-and what would that be…?” Makoto asked, and Monokuma cackled.

“PUHUHUHUHU!! To play a game, of course!”

“A game?” Sayaka asked, her voice shaky.

“We’re going to play a little ditty I like to call, the Killing School Life! If you want out of my LUXURIOUS academy, then alls ya have to dooooo is kill a fellow classmate, and don’t you dare get caught~!!!”

The students erupted into screams and shouts of anger and confusion.

“K-Kill?!” Kiyotaka’s voice rang out. “You can’t possibly be serious!”

Monokuma giggled. “As serious as a judge, Mr. Kiyotaka!” He paused, his voice grinding against itself. “Of which I am, obviously. As well as the jury, and executioner!!”

And Makoto froze. He didn’t feel anything. He didn’t hear, or breathe, or do anything. Makoto watched the scene of chaos unfold in front of him with bated breath. A pit formed in his stomach. A painful, deleterious, noxious hole in his heart that ate away at his life. Makoto would come to know this as feeling simply as despair. A feeling that eats away and dries out a person, and leaves them as nothing but a shell of what they once were. After it’s done, then all that’s left of them is complete, total, all-encompassing Despair.


	2. Prom or Hell?-DAILY LIFE

Makoto Naegi watched with blank, lifeless eyes at the scene laid out in front of him. 

“HEY! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, KILL?!” Mondo roared, rolling up his sleeves and balling his fists.

“Kill! Verb, to cause the death of (a person, animal, oar other living thing). To put it into a sentence, ‘Jade killed Rose with an assault rifle’. That clear things up for ya Mr. Oowada????” Monokuma chuckled.

“QUIT THE BULLSHIT!!” Junko screeched. “We get it! Now are you gonna let us outta here or not!!”

“Ms. Enoshima! Do you rrrreeeaaaaalllyyy think I would go through all this trouble, JUST to call it off right now?? You clearly don’t know a thing about horror movies!!! Puhuhuhu!” Monokuma cackled, hopping down from his podium to stand on the gym floor.

“P-please…” Chihiro whimpered, struggling to hold back tears. “Just, tell us what you want! I’ll do anything, just please let us go!”

Monokuma clicked his metal tongue. “‘Fraid I can’t do that, Miss Fujisaki! I’m gonna have my killing game, and you aren't gonna like it! That’s for sure!”

The room erupted into furious shouts. Snippets of fear and anger whipped past Makoto’s ears, and all Makoto could feel was despair. It was a 50-ton brick plummeting deep inside of him. Total, Complete, Ultimate Despair. Makoto didn’t move. He didn’t talk, all he could hear was the panicked voices of his peers.

“This is so totally fucked! Fucking god damn shit!!” Leon cursed.

“Despicable...absolutely disgusting…” Iore whispered into her fist.

“UGH!! AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL” Toko spat, tugging at her braids.

“CHILDREN! CHILDREN!!” Monokuma interrupted, positively fuming. “Cccccchhhhrrrrisstt!!!” Monokuma drawled, moving over to the group of horrified teenagers. “Can you calm down?? The assembly JUST started!!”

“Assembly?” Hina asked, horror seeping into her voice. “What else could there possibly be?”

“Grrrrrreat question, Miss Asahina!!!” Monokuma jeered. “Could everyone reach into their pockets to find a special surprise???? Pleaseeeeee, for me???” Monokuma whirred, hopping from side to side and batting his fiber eyelashes.

Makoto lightly felt the outline of a rectangle in his right pants pocket. He frantically grabbed whatever it was and regarded the strange device in his hands.

“It’s….a tablet?” Kiriko questioned. “Not to be rude, but what use could we possibly have for a tablet like this in a killing game?”

“Y-yeah! You diseased giant rat! You aren’t even worth 5 exp!” Aiko stammered, putting fists up and walking towards Monokuma.

“Ahhh!!! Someone get the scawy paladin away from your poor defenseless headmasterrr!!!” Monokuma wailed, hugging Junko’s leg for protection. Junko just kicked at the air, Monokuma plopping back down at the podium.

“Cut the bullshit, got it?! What the fuck are the tablets for?!” Junko screamed, stomping on the gymnasium floor.

“Why do we even care?” Kotomi spat. “Let’s just plug the piece of shit and be done with it!” She drew her weapon, aiming it at Monokuma’s torn open eye, just as her pistol clicked, and no bullet came out. “Damnit.” Kotomi murmured.

“Lucky shot, Ms. Ikuta!! If you did shoot lil ol’ me, then you’d be in bigggg trouble!” Monokuma laughed.

“‘Big Trouble’?” Byakuya asked. “What kind of ‘Big Trouble’?”

“Well, Mr. Togami! Maybe you could check out your pretty little tablet there! Mmmmaybe you’d get your precious info through that there doo-dad!”

“We aren’t gonna touch that shady as shit thing!” Leon spat. “And you can’t do anything about it!”

“Ohohoho! But Mr. Kuwata I sure can!” Monokuma cackled. “Come on, kids! Which one of y’all is gonna crack open that tablet?”

Kyoko raised a gloved hand.

“Ooookay! Ms. Kirigiri, if you would open that School Handbook, and pop open the Rules App, we can get this bad boy off the ground!!!”

Makoto followed Kyoko’s movements, opening up the bright green rules app, reading along with Kyoko’s cool voice.

“Rule Number One: All students must remain on campus, leaving Hope’s Peak Academy is strictly forbidden.” So they really were trapped here, weren’t they? Monokuma wouldn’t let them leave, even if they tried.

“Rule Number Two: ‘Nighttime’ is from 10 PM to 7 AM. Some areas, including the dining hall and gymnasium, are inaccessible during nighttime.”

“Why implement that rule?” Celeste inquired to the bear.

Monokuma shrugged. “I’m a headmaster! Arbitrary rules is what I do, Miss Ludenberg!”

Kyoko continued. “Rule Number Three: Sleeping anywhere outside of the dorm rooms is considered sleeping in class, and is strictly prohibited.”

“Rule Number Four: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.” Kyoko spoke, before Sakura turned to Monokuma.

“Minimal restrictions? What does that mean?” She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Gee whiz, Ms. Oogami! I can’t let my precious students wandering off all willy-nilly! You guys have to stay within the boundaries! Don’t want anyone getting hurt now, do I???”

“You **LITERALLY **are forcing us to kill eachother!!” Yasuhiro protested.

“Semantics! Now, Ms. Kirigiri, please continue, if you would!!” Monokuma jeered, as Kyoko lightly nodded.

“Rule Number Five: Any violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is the destruction of any school property such as mounted guns or security cameras.”

“Rule Number Six: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes “blackened” will graduate, as long as they aren’t found out.”

“Rule Number Seven: Headmaster Monokuma reserves the right to add additional rules whenever he pleases.” Kyoko put her handbook back into her pocket, turning to Monokuma.

“Thank you ever so much, Ms. Kirigiri! I appreciate your help!!!” Monokuma clapped, bowing in an exaggerated manner.

“M-Monokuma?” Sayaka asked, stepping in front of the crowd. “What do you mean when you say, ‘as long as they aren’t found out’?”

“Puhuhu! EXCELLENT question, Ms. Maizono! You see, after a murder is committed, and a student is killed! All the remaining students will hold a Class Trial!” Monokuma cheered.

“A class trial? You mean we are to defend ourselves for the murder of a peer?” Celeste asked, her clawed hand held in front of her mouth.

“Not exactly, Miss Ludenberg! Quite the opposite, in fact!!!” Monokuma stood to his full (not that tall) height, and began talking. “You see, after a murder is committed, all the students that aren’t bloody corpses, will be given precisely 3 hours to investigate the crime scene!! Once they’re done or the time is up, or if I just get bored, the Class Trial will commence!!!”

“S-So then we have to…” Hina gasped. “Accuse eachother of murder…?”

“Preeeecisely!” Monokuma cackled. “All students who are presently alive will present their evidence to try and sniff out the Blackened! If you students pick right, then congratulations!!! The killer that disturbed the peace has been brought to justice, and will be promptly executed.”

“W-what?!” Kiyotaka screamed. “E-Executed?!” 

“Isn’t it fair that one who stole another life, just for freedom, should die themselves? It’s just common sense, Mr. Ishimaru.” Monokuma deadpanned.

“This isn’t funny!” Leon spat. “Let us fucking out of here already!”

“Yeah! Cut it out, for goodness sake!” Chihiro pleaded in agreement.

“Have you dolts not got the picture yet?! This isn’t a drill, kiddies! This is real life, my dear students! This killing game isn’t ending until you all end, after all!!! Puhuhuhu!”

“Until we all end?” Makoto said, his voice light and airy. “What do you mean, ‘Until we all end’?”

“Nice catch, Mr. Naegi!” Monokuma laughed. “You see, I didn’t tell you all what happens when you _ don’t _ catch the killer!”

“What happens...if we don’t?” Kotomi quietly said.

“Well, if the Blackened isn’t found guilty, they walk free! They can mosey there way outta Hope’s Peak Academy and continue living their lives! But....for the rest of you will face a gruesome mass execution! It’s perfectly fitting for such incompetent detectives! After that, the Killing Game promptly ends!”

“If you’re going to kill us why not just do it now?!” Sakura asked, her voice laced with hatred. “Why drag us through this nightmare?”

“Puhuhuhu!” Monokuma cackled. “Ms. Oogami, don’t be so naive! Why would I bother killing you right now, when it would be sooooo much more interesting to drag it out??”

“UGH! I’ve had enough of this guy’s garbage!” Junko’s voice roared, her boots clanking against the gymnasium floor as she stomped up to the stage. Monokuma hopped off his podium to meet her.

“Hmmmm?? Why, Ms. Enoshima, what are you d-!!!” Monokuma’s words were cut-off as Junko kicked him in the stomach, sending the bear into the gym stage.

“Owie Zowie!!!!” Monokuma whined, as Junko stabbed him in the stomach with the heel of her boot.

“I’ve been listening to you go on and on!” She screamed, her perfectly manicured nails looking more like claws. “Shut!” She stomped on his stomach. “Your!” Stomp. “Goddamn!” Stomp. “Fluff-filled!” Stomp. “MOUTH!” Stomp.

Monokuma laid motionless under Junko’s boot.

“Did ...did she kill it…?” Mondo gaped in awe. “Holy shit…”

“Is, is it dead?! SOMEONE CHECK IF ITS DEAD!” Yasuhiro wailed.

“Hey, where’d all your fight go you two-toned piece of shit? Out of steam?” Junko mocked, grinding her boot deeper into his faux-fluffy exterior. Monokuma didn’t respond.

“3…..” Monokuma’s voice came from the lifeless bear body.

“Wh-” Junko questioned, just as Chihiro sprung into action.

“2…..”

“JUNKO! IT’S GONNA BLOW!” Chihiro cried, running in and tackling Junko away from the bear.

“1….”

Monokuma self destructed with a fiery blaze, the students taking shelter behind the rows of folding chairs from pieces of bear that flew about the room.

“Thanks Chihiro…” Junko panted, standing back up. “I owe ya one.” Chihiro blushed, moving her hair out of her face.

“Is ...is it over? Monokuma’s dead, isn’t he…?” Kiriko asked, her voice faint. “If there’s no Monokuma, the killing game can’t continue, right?”

“No one’s injured right?” Kiyotaka asked, dashing from person to person and checking for wounds.

“Nope!!! Everyone’s just peachy keen, Mr. Ishimaru!!” Monokuma laughed, laying luxuriously atop his podium.

“Of course he isn’t dead.” Iore spat, her arms crossed in front of her.

“Puhuhuhu!!! I’ll let it slide just this once, Ms. Enoshima, but if any of you EVER bring harm to lil ol me EVER again, you will be punished accordingly, I can assure you of that!!!” Monokuma cackled, producing a martini glass.

“Stop mocking us! We demand to be heard!” Aoi protested, only for Monokuma’s laughter to over-power her voice.

“Ms. Asahina, have you ever been in a public school system? You have noooo power here! If you don’t wanna die that is!! I wonder what execution you’d have, Ms. Asahina! If you were driven to the absolute brink by your need to escape, you bashed ...let's say, Mr. Ishimaru’s head in! What kind of twisted execution do I have prepared for you hmmmm???”

“Stop it!” Sakura screamed. “We’re already gonna die here, right? Why torment us further?!”

“DO YOU DIMWITS JUST NOT GET IT?! THIS IS A CAPITAL K KILLING GAME! AS IF I WOULDN’T TORMENT YOU TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY!!! PUHUHU! DON’T WORRY MY WONDERFUL STUDENTS, YOUR KILLING SCHOOL LIFE HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN!!!!”

\---

All 20 of them filed out the front door, silence settling over the 78th Class of Hope’s Peak Academy.

“Well, what a way to start the school year.” Celeste snickered, walking towards the dorm area.

“This is hardly a time for jokes.” Kyoko responded, stomping after her, her footsteps heavy.

“I’m not joking.” Celeste stated. “It truly was an extravagant start! This whole deal could’ve been conveyed with a cryptic note! Or perhaps an eerie PA announcement! This whole class assembly was unnecessary. Talk about a waste of time.”

Kyoko’s face twisted into a frown. “To be frank, we’re in a life or death situation here. We don’t know what Monokuma, or whoever is behind Monokuma, has planned, and it’s absolutely irresponsible for any of us to doubt the credibility of a game like this-”

“Kyoko, my name is Celestia Ludenberg, and I’ve had enough of what you’re trying to tell all of us dear students. I’m not for a second trying to make light of our situation, but rather convey just how simple it is.” Celeste mused, her blood red eyes seeming to glare daggers at Kyoko.

“And what do you mean by that.” Kyoko grumbled.

“It’s impossible for us to escape this situation.” Celeste stated. “What do we do then? Fight? Die?” Her face seemed like porcelain. Fake. Lifeless. “We adapt. Whatever that despicable bear throws at us, we ignore. We live our glorious, dead-end lives here in Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“You can’t be serious. That’s absolutely _ pitiful _.” Kyoko spat back. “You expect us to just lie down and accept our fate? Now what? We all get to the roof and throw ourselves off the top?”

“I’m not saying that, Kyoko. We have no other choice. We’re trapped here by whatever maniac is behind all of this, so what are we to do? Fight and die like dogs? Or survive?” Kyoko glared at Celeste with fury and hatred in her eyes. “Now what’s with that look, Kyoko? All the fire put out, is it? A shame, really.” Celeste said, her heels clicking against the floor as she daintily walked off, venom in every step she took.

\---

Makoto deflated when people parted after they made it back to the dorm area. Celeste was unaccounted for, and with her crazy ideas mixing up with all the paranoia and fear the others felt, it was sure to brew up trouble. He was now located in the dining hall, sitting still as others talked amongst themselves.

“Not to break the mood, but would anyone happen to know what time it is?” Tsubasa inquired, stepping out of the dining hall’s kitchen. She held a variety of foods she was planning on cooking with under her arm, as she got to work at a counter.

“No idea.” Leon responded, hands behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. Makoto gave him a few minutes before he fell back.

“Shame. I was hoping we could all enjoy dinner, but I don’t want to fight the clock to nighttime.”

“Good thinking, Tsubasa!” Iore applauded. “We shouldn’t waste time after all.”

“Ugh...I don’t think I can eat at a time like this…” Yasuhiro grumbled, his body slumped over on one of the lunch tables.

“Our situation may be dire, but that is no excuse to not keep our bodies in peak health!!” Kiyotaka shouted. “Ms. Kamii! Allow me to assist you in preparing food!”

“T-Taka!” Aoi shouted. “But what if we don’t finish eating in time? We don’t wanna risk it, right?”

“NONSENSE! IF WE GET LOCKED IN, SO BE IT!!” Taka shouted, much to the others alarm.

“SLEEPING OUTSIDE OF THE DORMS VIOLATES A RULE! I’M NOT DYING BECAUSE YOU WANT US ALL TO HAVE A BALANCED DINNER, KIYOTAKA!” Kiriko screamed.

“Can’t we just bring our food to our rooms? That wasn’t a rule, right?” Makoto asked, figuring he should participate in conversation.

“Nonsense! That’s just unsanitary.” Kotomi cut in.

“PRECISELY, MISS IKUTA! WE WILL EAT HERE!” Kiyotaka added, before walking back to his seat and really laying into a plate of dressed chicken Tsubasa had found in a fridge.

“This is bullshit.” Mondo spat, grabbing a plate of buttered toast. “I’m out.” He stalked off towards the door, throwing it open to go eat in his dorm room.

“MR. OOWADA!” Kiyotaka shouted, grabbing a handful of food and shoving it in his mouth as he ran after the biker. “MR. OOWADA STOP RIGHT THERE!”

“So those two are at it again…” Sayaka laughed to herself, taking a sip of water as Mondo and Taka’s shouting voices were heard through the door.

“Again? Where they fighting earlier?” Makoto asked, resting his head on his hand.

“Did you not hear them?” Touko asked, her grimace increased tenfold. “They were bickering like an old married couple. It was completely unbearable.”

Makoto laughed. “Figures as much. I guess I just woke up too late to hear them, then.”

Byakuya made an annoyed noise. “What now, you rat.” Touko spat in response. Byakuya glared at her, rolling his eyes.

“I don’t think we should be focusing on such petty disputes.” He stated, pausing for someone to affirm his statement. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he continued. “Our main goal should be discovering the identity of the Mastermind.”

Makoto tilted his head in confusion. “The Mastermind? Do you mean the one behind Monokuma?”

Byakuya nodded. “Someone has to be controlling that horrible bear. It obviously isn’t functioning on it’s own.”

“M-maybe it’s some kind of advanced AI!” Chihiro exclaimed. “You know...there are some programs that can learn and even develop personalities nowadays...maybe Monokuma is one that went rogue!”

“But...didn’t he say that he wasn’t a robot??” Yasuhiro asked. “How could be AI if he’s not a robot?”

“UGHHH” Touko groaned. “The bitch EXPLODED. Do you really think the murder crazy teddy bear would tell us the truth about itself anyway??”

“While I hate to admit it, Byakuya might have a point.” Kotomi spat. “Someone has to be behind it all.”

“Thank you-” Byakuya began, just as Touko catapulted a grape into his face with her spoon.

“You know, out of anyone, I’d suspect Kyoko.” Iore cut in, sipping a cup of tea.

“Wh-?” Aiko gaped. “We aren’t gonna suspect someone so early in the campaign! That’s downright irresponsible!”

“Have you noticed her quiet calmness? How cool and collected she is in every situation? That screams of a plotting schemer.” Iore murmured.

“Quiet, Iore.” Makoto stated, turning to the others. “Personally, I agree with Aiko. We haven’t even been here a day! And Monokuma is already getting us to fight eachother. We have to remain calm, and that means we can’t suspect anyone until we have more evidence.”

“Precisely.” Sakura nodded in affirmation. “As long as we stay united and don’t allow Monokuma to divide us with suspicion, there’s no way anyone will die in this killing game.”

Almost on cue, the P.A chime went off.

_Ding Dong Bing Bong__  
__  
_ Bing Bong Ding Dong

_ “Ahem! Ahem! It is now 10 PM, and officially NIGHTTIME! In accordance with the rules, the dining hall and gymnasium are now OFF LIMITS! Any student still inside the gymnasium or dining hall, you will have one more minute to ske-daddle outta those rooms! Have a nice night! Don’t let the bed-bugs bite!!!” _

“Guess that’s it then.” Leon said, standing up and heading for the dining hall’s door.

“See ya tomorrow, everyone!” Sayaka said, leaving behind Leon. Everyone gave individual goodbyes, and left for the 20 dorm rooms that lined the dimly lit hallway. Makoto examined the doors, finding a name-plate displaying a chibi profile of each student, with their name displayed below. Makoto sought out the one displaying him, breathing heavily and turning the doorknob. It just clicked. It makes sense it would be locked. Makoto squatted, peering at the odd mechanism keeping the door shut. It was a card reader, but a remarkably odd one. On a whim, Makoto took out his handbook, waving it in front of the reader. He tried the doorknob again, and the door swung open.

His room was very well furnished, with a sofa, large desk, and chest of drawers. A large bed was provided, which Makoto was thankful for, since he felt more exhausted than he ever had in his life. A closet was even built into the wall, complete with up to 30 copies of the exact outfit he wore, even to the hole on the right knee of his pants. Monokuma was thorough, that’s for sure.

Makoto shrugged off his hoodie, disrobing to prepare to sleep. He didn’t want to be awake for a bit. He slid under the soft covers provided for him, praying that this would all be a dream when he woke up.

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATER!!!**

**“Hey there kids!!!! Do you ever wonder how a lobster digests his food??? No??? Well too bad!!! Your ol’ pal Mr. Monokuma will be glad to fill you in!!! Well, it all starts here, at the lobster’s mouth!! Lobster’s are very very messy eaters, creating clouds of debris as they try to manipulate the food with their claws! Stupid Lobster! Get hands already amirite??? As whatever poor soul our conditionally immortal (Hades will freeze up when lobsters die) slides down it’s gullet, the lobsters first stomach will get to work grinding and mashing up it’s food, like a meat tenderizer just goes down on a steak! From there, it’s digestive gland takes over, as you’d expect, and the food gets instant transmissioned into the body! That’s for all for tonight, have a nice trauma!**

\---

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Attention Attention!! All students of Hope’s Peak Academy! It is now 7 AM, which marks the end of nighttime!! Time to rise and shine, my glorious pupils, for a wonderful learning filled day at the luxurious Hope’s Peak Academy!!” _

Unfortunately for Makoto Naegi, no, yesterday was not a dream. He still woke up in his dorm room in Hope’s Peak Academy, dread filling his chest as he rose out of bed, taking another identical copy of his wardrobe, and steeled himself to leave his room. His hand pulled the trigger, wheeling open the door and walking out into the hallway. The dorm room locked behind him, ensuring only Makoto (or someone with Makoto’s handbook), could open it.

Makoto seemed to be the only person in the dorm hallways at the time, so he set out to the Dining Hall to get breakfast. He opened the door, finding Iore, Hina, Leon, and Kiriko eating food, Tsubasa at the counter closest to the kitchen preparing her own food.

“Good morning!” Hina cheered, waving at Makoto as he sat down at the table.

“S’up.” Leon stated

“Hi.” Makoto said, waiting for a moment before sighing. “How are you all holding up after...all that.”

“Bout how you’d expect.” Hina sighed, visibly deflating. Sakura kept me company, but I’m still scared.”

“We all are. I can’t imagine any of us here want to die.” Iore added, definitely not helping the tension.

“Yeah, well. I took a shower last night, so I’m feeling pretty relaxed.” Leon yawned, stretching his arms over his head.

“Personally, I think we need to do our best to ignore Monokuma.” Tsubasa tried, finally eating a spoonful of the cereal she had prepared.

“Easier said than done.” Makoto groaned.

“Precisely. And, while I don’t agree with most of what Celestia says, I’m inclined to agree that we should try and adapt to our situation the best we can.” She explained.

“That’s outraegously stupid.” Iore spat. “Yes, it’s not the time to try and break out right now, but if we just stand still and do nothing we’re just accepting our deaths!”

Makoto raised his voice. “Hey now, we can’t keep fighting all the time. Then we’ll never accomplish anything! We need to work together.”

“Whatever.” Leon said, standing to his full height. “We’ll just chill for now until Monokuma makes his next special announcement, kay? Once that happens, we’ll figure out where to go from there.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Hina exclaimed as Leon left the dining hall. Makoto was intending to go after him, but he wanted to talk to someone else first.

“Hina, do you have any idea where everyone else is?” Hina thought for a moment, her eyes wandering across the ceiling.

“Who are you looking for, Makoto? I know Sakura’s still in her dorm room, and I’m pretty sure I saw Kyoko-”

“Kyoko! Where’d you see Kyoko?” Makoto asked, making Hina jump at his sudden animated-ness.

“Ah, well, I saw her in the warehouse when I first got up-since I was looking for more protein powder-but she might not be there anymore. She always looks super busy.”

“Thanks, Hina!” Makoto exclaimed, dashing out the door as Hina waved after him.

\---

Kyoko wasn’t in the warehouse. Which was a massive disappointment, since the only other person in the warehouse was Touko Fukawa, the most unpleasant person he had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

“Ugh, what do you want dumpass.” Touko spat upon his entry, rummaging through shelves upon shelves to find whatever she was looking for.

“...Hi Touko. I was just looking to find Kyoko. Any idea where she could be?” Touko grimaced at his greeting.

She shrugged in indifference. “Last time I saw her was yesterday after her and Celeste’s fight.”

“Thanks…” Makoto sighed, quickly turning on his heel and making towards the door.

“Why are you even looking for her anyway.” Touko spat behind him. “Got a crush on her or some shit?”

Makoto flushed bright red. “N-No! I don’t even like girls!” Makoto protested.

Touko stood a little taller. Makoto heard her mutter _ “Twink” _under her breath before talking louder. “Girls are great, but I respect you. To be honest if you were straight I’d find you even more insufferable.” She joked, though Makoto wasn’t entirely sure.

\---

Continuing his search, Makoto wandered into the sauna. He doubted Kyoko was one to take a quick steam, but he might as well try the changing room. “Kyoko?” He tried. No response. “KYOKO??” He shouted. Still no reaction. Makoto exhaled, disappointed in his lack of results, just as he turned to leave, he ran face-first into Chihiro Fujisaki, stopping himself just in time to avoid knocking her to the ground.

“Ah! Chihiroimsosorryareyouokay?!” Makoto hurried out, as Chihiro stood back to her full height, pulling her computer bag closer to her.

“I-It’s no problem….” She said, turning on the balls of her feet. “A-Are you leaving, or?”

“Oh, right! I was just on my way out!” Makoto assured. “By the way, have you seen Kyoko anywhere?”

“Kyoko…? I don’t think so. I was woke up anyway. I’m coming here from the dining hall.” She explained, opening her computer bag and removing a charging cable.

“It’s a little early to get in the sauna, don’t you think? Especially with your computer, right?” Makoto asked, confused. Chihiro flushed bright red.

“I’m not going into the sauna! I was just, using the waiting room.” She said, taking a seat in the corner of the room, situating herself between the lockers and the fern against the wall. It was a snug fit, but Chihiro didn’t seem to mind.

“Just ...using the waiting room?” Makoto asked, puzzled. “Using it for what?”

Chihiro opened her mouth to speak but no words came out of her lips. She jabbed a finger at the ceiling. Makoto followed the direction she pointed, gazing up at the tiled ceiling, before his eyes widened in surprise.

“There’s no security cameras!” Makoto exclaimed. “I guess Monokuma isn’t sleazy enough to spy on his students changing.” He turned back to Chihiro, a smile plastered onto his face. “So, whatever you’re doing on that computer, you don’t want Monokuma to see? This is an ingenious plan, Chihiro!”

Chihiro, thoroughly embarrassed, hid her face in her sweater, mumbling a thank you. 

“Though...can I see what you’re doing on that laptop?” Makoto tentatively asked. “I promise any word of it won’t leave his room, Chihiro.”

Chihiro seemed to ponder it for a moment, before looking downward. “I...would prefer not to. Please don’t take it personally.”

“It’s no problem. I wouldn’t try to do anything you weren’t comfortable with.” Chihiro smiled in appreciation, as Makoto waved goodbye to her as he left the waiting room.

\---

Makoto was greeted by the searing glare of Byakuya Togami as he entered the library. The Ultimate Heir obviously wasn’t the only person inside, but dramatically lounging in a gray folding chair, book open with one hand in front of him, he clearly wanted to be the center of attention.

“Hi Byakuya.” Makoto sighed. “Do you have any idea where Kyoko is? I’ve been looking for her all morning.

Byakuya scoffed. “Why would I care about where Kyoko is? If she wants to put herself in danger by not following my recommendations, then sh-”

“** _VIBE CHECK_ **” Aiko Umesawa screamed, heaving a massive tome over her head and slamming it into the side of Byakuya’s chair, collapsing it and sending both to the ground.

“A-Aiko?!” Makoto worriedly said. “Where did you come from?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?”

“His vibes were completely rancid, Makoto.” Aiko sneered, lifting her book back into her arms. “This beauty is good for than one thing, anyway!” She proudly displayed the front cover. Intricate art of a massive silver dragon swirled into the shape of an & symbol, as small fighters in a cave surrounded it. “Ta-da! This tome of knowledge is a complete collection of EVERY edition of the Dungeons and Dragons handbook!” She sighed loudly. “Holding it in my hands is pure bliss!”

“Ugh, did you have to do that?!” Byakuya shouted, wrestling himself free from the folding chair and glaring at Aiko.

Aiko just stared at him with cold eyes, handling her book and raising it threateningly, making Byakuya cower.

` “Anyways, Aiko.” Makoto continued. “Have you seen Kyoko anywhere? I need to ask her a few questions.”

“Sorry, I haven’t. If I had to guess though, she’s prolly creeping around that bear statue she loves so much!” She laughed.

“Alright. Thanks Aiko!” Makoto waved as he left the library, Byakuya continuing to bicker with Aiko all the way.

\---

Sure enough, Kyoko Kirigiri was crouched down in front of the Symbol of Strength, a sight that made Makoto shudder deeply.

“H-Hey, Kyoko!” Makoto waved, as she tossed a dismissing look his way. She nodded at him, bothering to acknowledge him. Makoto approached her, but not daring to squat down with her and investigate the plaque at the base of the statue. “So, I wanted to ask you a few questions.”

“Like what?” She simply answered, still not bothering to look at him.

“So, uh, I don’t think I ever got your talent!” He said, trying to force a cheery intonation into his voice.

“Hm. I don’t believe I have.” Kyoko said, tracing the words on the statue’s base.

“If I’m not crossing any boundaries, I’d...like to know what your talent is. If you’re okay with that, I mean.” Makoto stated. Kyoko made a small noise in the back of her throat and stood up.

“I’m going to be honest with you, Makoto. I don’t remember.” Makoto’s eyes widened, his mouth laying agape.

“C-Come on, Kyoko,” Makoto tried to laugh. “Stop messing with me,”

“Believe what you want to believe. If you want to think I’m lying, then go ahead.” She said, just as deadpan as always.

Makoto took a deep breath. “How long have you not been able to remember your talent?”

Kyoko nodded. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s something about the school. Maybe I hit my head a little too hard on that desk Monokuma put me in.” A puff of air left her nose, signaling what must be a chuckle from Kyoko. “However it happened, something made me forget my talent.”

“What’s that I hear?” another voice said, the accent coating every word alerting the pair to Celeste’s presence. “A private talk between my two favorite people here?” She strutted into view, her dress still as detailed as ever, her make-up just as perfect as the massive hair drills that flanked her face. “Allow me to join you, if you’ll allow me.”

“It would be my pleasure.” Kyoko instantly said, walking up to the Gambler. “Any particular reason for disrupting our conversation?”

“I was just in the neighborhood. I just _ happened _ to catch that juicy piece of information you just revealed to our dear Makoto here.” Makoto flinched at his name rolling off of Celeste’s poison coated lips. “What do you see in him anyway? Revealing information as sensitive as that to someone….. _ like that _, so early in the game? It’s downright asinine.”

“H-hey! I can hear you, you know!” Makoto protested. Celeste waved him off.

“Regardless, you can’t remember your talent, Kyoko?” Celeste said, bringing the conversation back to the original talking point. “What a strange predicament you’ve found yourself in.”

“Don’t count me out just yet.” Kyoko said, getting in Celeste’s face. “Even if I don’t recall what my talent is, that doesn’t mean I’m going to be an easy opponent in the Killing Game.”

Celeste laughed. “Really, Kyoko, dear? Well, I suppose it’s time you finally met your match, isn’t it?”

Kyoko cocked an eyebrow. “Is that a threat, Celestia?”

“Would you be mad if it was?”

Kyoko sneered, recognizing the very small space between the two of them, promptly backing up, though no embarrassment showed on her face. She simply held out her gloved hand. “Here’s to a good game, Ms. Ludenberg.” A wolfish grin formed on Celeste’s face.

“Here here, my darling Kyoko.”

\---

Thoroughly confused if that was flirting or threatening, Makoto returned to the dorm area, collapsing into a chair back inside the Dining Hall. The previous group had left, seeing as Iore, Sakura, Aoi no where to be seen.

“Honestly, same.” Leon said as Makoto shoved his face into his arms. Makoto turned to look at him, his shock of familiar orange hair making him smile.

“Heh, hey Leon. You tired too?” Makoto tried, blinking a few times.

“Yeah. All this damn Killing Game shit is freaking me the fuck out.” Leon grumbled under his breath. “And some of these guys around here are seriously annoying! You haven’t been in the gym, right?”

Makoto laughed. “I haven’t. Why?”

“Mondo and Kiyotaka have been having a shouting match all goddamn day! Get a room already, sheesh! It’s been torture on my ears.” Leon spat, throwing his arms down exasperatedly.

“Well you haven’t been Kyoko hunting! I finally found her after like an hour of searching, she tells me some cryptic stuff I still can’t understand, then Celeste shows up and threatens both of us! Seriously! What the fuck!” Leon laughed in disbelief.

“Holy shit man, that’s heavy.”

“It’s fine. My head just hurts.” Makoto responded, whimpering into his sleeve.

“Same here.” Leon yawned, stretching his arms over his head. His shirt hitched up as he did so, Makoto noticing the silver navel piercing the Baseball Player had. He blushed, furiously averting his gaze. “We both deserve naps.”

That really wasn’t helping the tomato-like complexion Makoto was dealing with right now, so he decided to drop it after that.

“A-Anyway! Do you wanna get something to eat, to relax, or-?” Makoto said, stopping once he saw Leon nod.

“Sure, I could go for a sandwich or somethin’.”

\---

Kicking himself for not asking if Leon was interested in guys during their entire lunch time rendezvous, Makoto planned to spend the rest of his day milling about the dorm area. He didn’t want to get in the way of Celeste and Kyoko’s battling, and going for a steam in the sauna didn’t sound particularly appealing, especially with Chihiro firing away at her laptop in the waiting room. 

Just then, the tapping of dress shoes on the linoleum floor alerted him to another’s presence. “Oh, it’s just Makoto.” Byakuya’s voice said.

“What do you mean, ‘Just Makoto’?” Makoto asked, halfway offended.

“You’re unimportant. That’s all.” He responded, walking up to the Dining Hall Door, and peering at the knob.

“H-Hey! Don’t be rude!” Byakuya didn’t respond, so Makoto assumed he didn’t bother himself with unimportant people.

“Oh, hey Makoto.” Junko’s voice added, as the girl herself came into view. “What’s happening?”

“Trying to fill time. I had a snack earlier, but I don’t wanna sleep yet.” Just then, Makoto’s head whirred with worry. “W-Wait, does Monokuma have our medical prescriptions?! Because, I-”

“ALL TAKEN CARE OF, MR. NAEGI!!!” Monokuma squealed, popping out of nowhere.

“JESUS FUCKING SHIT-” Junko shouted, taking a large jump back as Byakuya released a horrific scream.

“Hold your horses Ms. Enoshima, Mr. Togami! It’s just your good ol’ headmaster, Mr. Monokuma!!!!” Monokuma cheered, his whirring voice sending a chill down Makoto’s spine.

“Y-yeah, but you could’ve given us some warning! Where did you even come from?!” Makoto shouted in confusion.

“A good Monokuma never reveals his secrets~” Monokuma joked, blowing a plush kiss to the trio of students.

“WEIRD thing to say!” Junko responded.

“Anywho, yes, any medication you must take on a regular basis has been provided for you, and laid out in your dorm room bathrooms! If there’s anything you need to take, please follow your usual routine!!” Monokuma cheered.

“Oh, thank you, I guess.” Makoto stated.

“No problemo!!!!” And almost on cue, the P.A Alarm went off.

_Ding Dong Bing Bong__  
__  
_ Bing Bong Ding Dong

_ “Ahem! Ahem! It is now 10 PM, and officially NIGHTTIME! In accordance with the rules, the dining hall and gymnasium are now OFF LIMITS! Any student still inside the gymnasium or dining hall, you will have one more minute to ske-daddle outta those rooms! Have a nice night! Don’t let the bed-bugs bite!!!” _

In response, Kotomi kicked open the Dining Halls door, Byakuya splattering to the floor as she left. “You heard the P.A!” She shouted, stomping towards her dorm room. “Bedtime everyone!”

Junko scoffed. “Cocky asshat,” she grumbled in Kotomi’s direction. “See ya later, Makoto.”

Makoto nodded, getting up and walking off to his dorm room. He opened the door, closing it upon his entrance, triple checking if he’d locked it with his keycard. He sighed, walking into the bathroom attached to his dorm. Thankfully, Monokuma hadn’t lied, as his bottle of prescription testosterone gel, and several bottles of his anxiety medicine.

Makoto took a quick shower, swallowing down his medicine and applying the rest. He sighed, looking at the mirror, before a small card taped to it alerted him.

**“REMEMBER STUDENTS! BINDING WHILE SLEEPING CAN BE DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR HEALTH, AND LEAVE LONG LASTING INJURY! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR BINDER OFF BEFORE SLEEPING! PUHUHUHU!”**

**\- Mr. Monokuma**

Makoto audibly groaned, but he still made sure to take his binder off before going to sleep.

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATER!!!**

**Hello!! Did you know the effects of caffeine on the body? Because it’s super duper duper duper duper super duper duper super super WILD! Caffeine is a stimulant that well, stimulates the muscles and brain! Millions drink this bad boy every day, just for a spicy lil pick-me-up every morning!! But be warned, don’t you dare drink caffeine with alcohol, because it’ll be hella hazardous to you! Also, don’t drink a big big big big big amount of it! You’ll die real hard right there! Hmm? What’s that? I’m just quoting this off of google as we speak? Nonsense! Mr. Monokuma wouldn’t plagiarize, never ever never ever forever!**

\---

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Attention Attention!! All students of Hope’s Peak Academy! It is now 7 AM, which marks the end of nighttime!! Time to rise and shine, my glorious pupils, for a wonderful learning filled day at the luxurious Hope’s Peak Academy!!” _

Makoto, once again, was awoken by the P.A System blaring throughout his dorm room. Makoto sighed, rolling his shoulders and pushing himself off his bed. He quickly put on his clothes, and shambled off to the dining hall to eat some breakfast.

“Oh, hey Makoto!” Yasuhiro waved, taking a sip of the smoothie he had in front of him.

“GOOD MORNING, MR. NAEGI!” Kiyotaka exclaimed from his seat.

“Ah. Hey…” Makoto sighed, grabbing a few pieces of bread off of the counter.

Aside from Yasuhiro and Kiyotaka, the only other person in the dining hall was Kotomi, who was currently leaning back in her chair, hands behind her head. “You think something’s gonna happen today?”

“W-what do you mean, Kotomi?” Makoto whispered, his voice cracking. atory

“Y-YEAH, KOTOMI! WH-WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!” Yasuhiro exclaimed, hiding behind his chair.

“It just, Monokuma let us all go a full day without messing with us. That seems out of character.” She explained.

“AAAAAAHHH,,,MONOKUMA COULD POUNCE ON US OUT OF NOWHERE...NONE OF US ARE SAFE!!” Yasuhiro exclaimed, just as the dining hall door swung open.

“What are we screaming about in here?” Sakura asked as she and Aoi entered the room.

“Something about Monokuma coming after us? It’s only been a day! I don’t know why he would do anything yet.” Hina explained.

“Still!” Kiyotaka explained. “We cannot be too careful! Monokuma is an unpredictable force. We don’t know when he could-”

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Ahem! Ahem! Attention all students of Hope’s Peak Academy! Please report to the auditorium for a special assembly, hosted by yours truly, Mr. Monokuma!! This is mandatory, so anyone who doesn’t show up will incur a punishment! Alrighty, have a nice trauma!!” _

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHITTTT” Yasuhiro wailed, grabbing at his coat. “We’re gonna dieeeeeee!!!!”

“Pull yourself together already!” Kotomi shouted, kicking his chair. “We should get moving before we all get taken out. See you there.” She stomped off, moving through the hallway and out of the dorm area.

“Well, I guess we don’t really have a choice.” Taka sighed. “Come! Let us attend the school assembly!” He said, leading everyone towards the dorms. Makoto fell into step behind Taka, Sakura and Aoi, Hiro trailing behind him. The walk towards the gym was a silent one, every student fearing what horrors could await them at Monokuma’s most recent announcement.

Maybe they’d all be killed right then and there, since Monokuma was so anxious to get the students killing. Or maybe he’d torture their loved ones to get the killing game started? Makoto’s mind raced a mile a minute, horrifying images of his livelihood torn to shreds, his house rampaged, his family-

He coughed loudly, desperately trying to shake the images of his sister dying a gruesome death. He had already arrived at the gymnasium, after all. It seemed he and Yasuhiro were the last two to enter, as the other 20 students were already assembled inside.

“HEY! COME ON OUT, YOU FLUFFY PIECE OF SHIT!” Junko screamed. “We’re all here, so you can show your two-toned ass and we can get this over with already!”

“Junko!” Sayaka shouted. “Don’t be so mean! We still don’t know what he has planned!”

“Who cares?!” Mondo shouted. “YEAH, YOU MONOCHROME BASTARD! COME ON OUT SO WE CAN BEAT YOU UP!”

“D-DId you not hear what Monokuma said he’d do if you attacked him?!” Chihiro cried. “He almost killed Junko!”

“AND?! I’d gladly do it again!” Junko spat.

“CHILDREN! CHILDREN! QUIET DOWN, JEEZ! Mr. Monokuma has arrived at long last!” Monokuma cheered, appearing on the podium. He lounged luxuriously, sipping from a martini glass. Since Monokuma had no mouth to open, the orange liquid simply dribbled down his mechanical chin.

“Hooray.” Kiriko spat in disgust.

“So? We’re here.” Kyoko stated. “What do you want to threaten us with this time?”

“THREATEN?!” Monokuma exclaimed. “Threaten?! Why, Miss Kirigiri, I am APPALLED! The mere notion that such a kind and generous soul would ever threaten you-”  
“You LITERALLY trapped us in a killing game!” Leon shouted. “How the fuck is that not threatening?!”

“I’m not threatening you!! I’m merely here to provide….” Monokuma rambled off, a sickening glint shining off it’s metallic red eye. “Some _ motivation _.”

“Motivation….?” Makoto whispered, his voice shaky and quiet. “What...what do you mean by….’motivation’?”

“Oh you know! An incentive! A stimuli, or, as I’m gonna call it, a MOTIVE!” Monokuma exclaimed, clapping his mechanic paws together as his voice whirred with delight. “Puhuhuhu! It’ll be OODLES of fun!”

“To put it in simpler terms, you’re giving us a motive, so that we’ll kill one another?” Celeste stated.

“Right on the money, Miss Ludenberg! It’s just soooo despairingly BORING!” Monokuma whined. “It’s been a full 24 hours now, and no one has killed one another now! I thought for sure your pubescent brains would’ve snapped by now. I want excitement! Action! Thrills, Chills, KILLS!”

“N-No!” Sayaka exclaimed. “No matter what kind of sick motive you cook up, none of us will EVER kill anyone! EVER!”

“Puhuhuhu…” Monokuma cackled. “Dear, sweet, naive Miss Maizono. Are you suuuuuuuurrrrrrreeeee about that?”

“What…?” Sayaka asked. “I-”

“Careful, careful, Miss Maizono! Or you might be the first one to end up with a knife in their back! Puhuhuhuhu!!”

“SHUT IT!” Touko screamed. “You disgusting pig! I wouldn’t put it past some of us here to kill, but whatever motive you have isn’t going to make us kill!”

“Hmmph! We’ll see about that, Miss Fukawa.” Monokuma whirred, his voice metallic and clear. “Would every student please examine their school handbooks? I’ve sent you a special message!!”

Sure enough, a subtle vibration from Makoto’s handbook (residing in his hoodie pocket), alerted him of a notification. He fished i his pocket, removing the tablet from his hoodie. In the middle of the screen, in bolded text, read:

  1. ** MONOKUMA SENT FILE: [FIRST MOTIVE.mp4]**

**ATTACHED MSG: Puhuhu! Don’t watch this around any other student.**

Makoto, now thoroughly scared out of his mind, swallowed. “A-are we dismissed Monokuma?”

The bear nodded. “ABSO-tutely! Have a nice trauma everybody!!!”

\---

Makoto locked the door to his dorm room after he returned, and quickly sat down on his provided bed. Breathing heavily, he opened his handbook, flicking away the notification, opening the video file Monokuma had sent him. A black screen greeted him, as a video opened. Makoto made a pained noise as his sister appeared.

_ “Ugh...how do you work this damn thing?” The screen zoomed out and came into focus, as Makoto was greeted by the brilliant green eyes and choppy green hair of Komaru Naegi. The bright pink wall behind her, and the Sayaka Maizono posters told him she was recording this in her room. “Okay! If that’s actually recording, then congrats big bro!” She smiled. “You actually managed to get yourself into Hope’s Peak High School! Wow, that’s a weird thing to say.” Komaru took a breath, sighing before locking eyes with the camera once again. “Your little sis is cheering you on from the sidelines, so remember! I’m always in your corner.” She grinned, winking. “Love ya, big bro.” _

_ And then the screen faded to static. After a short while, the black and white screen of static faded again, showing the exact same shot of Komaru’s room, the only difference being the lack of Komaru. _

_ “Puhuhuhu!” Monokuma hopped into the frame, kicking his feet on Komaru’s bed. _

_ “Now now, what could’ve happened to the most valued thing in Mr. Makoto Naegi’s life? His dear little sister’s gone missing!! Disappeared without a trace! What has become of Komaru Naegi?!” _

_ The screen cut to black, the only thing left for Makoto to gawk at were four bright red letters. _

** _FIND OUT AFTER GRADUATION_ **

Makoto tears stinging at his eyes, threw his handbook across the room. He threw his hands over his ears as the motive video already started to loop; Komaru’s voice beginning to congratulating him again.

Not wanting to be tortured like this anymore, he quickly shut the thing off, sniffing as tears streamed down his face. Komaru couldn’t be dead. She _ can’t _ be dead. He refused to let her be another victim in Monokuma’s killing game.

\---

Then Makoto left his dorm room and was immediately greeted by people leaving their own dorm rooms. Kiyotaka clutched his handbook to his chest, eyes shaking with righteous fury and an even greater amount of fear. Tsubasa’s jaw was set, her eyes wet with tears as she glared at nothing in particular, her handbook clutched in her balled fist.

“So what was on your video, Makoto?” Makoto whirled around, locking eyes with Iore.

“...I don’t want to talk about it, Iore.” Makoto responded, not meeting her eyes.

Iore pouted. “Come on, Makoto! See, I’ll show you mine!” She cleared her throat. “It was a video of my mom congratulating me from her work office. Then, she disappeared, and Monokuma showed up. Then, he told me that I had to graduate to find her.”

“Oh.” Makoto gaped for a moment. “My video was like that too. I...saw my sister.” Makoto fought back tears.

Another dorm room opened, Kyoko Kirigiri stepping out into the scene unfolding. She nodded once at Makoto and Iore.

“How are you holding up, Kyoko?” Makoto tentatively asked, Kyoko throwing him a look. Still as calm and even as ever.

“Fine.”

“Oh! Kyoko! May I ask what was on your motive video?” Iore questioned.

“No.”

“Aww...but why not?” Kyoko didn’t respond further. She just stood there, eyes staring directly at the wall. Iore only waited for a few seconds before turning her gaze to Kiyotaka. “Hey! Taka, what was on your video?” 

“I’m...my ...my video….” Taka’s voice broke. “I don't ...please don’t ask what’s on there again.” Iore frowned.

“Alright…..” She perked up again. “Tsubasa! What was-”

“Why are you so damn interested in what Monokuma’s using to trick us into killing?! Those motive videos are PRIVATE.” Tsubasa spat. “Why do you insist on butting your nose into our personal business?!” She snapped, throwing her handbook across the floor.

Iore shrank back from Tsubasa, blinking a few times at her sudden outburst. She blinked, and she was fine. “Well, to put it simply, I’m Iore Kitabayashi! I’m the Ultimate Rumor Mill. Collecting information is simply what I do, Tsubasa!”

“The...Ultimate Rumor Mill?” Makoto asked. “What kind of talent is that?”

“You heard me. I know everything about everybody, Makoto!” Another door opened, Byakuya exiting his dorm room. “Oh! Hello, Byakuya!” Iore cheered. “May I ask you about what was on your Motive Video?”

Byakuya didn’t answer her. “I’m going to the Dining Hall. I’ll be there all day.” Iore grabbed his wrist as he walked away.

“Awww, Byakuya! You didn’t give me an answer!” Byakuya shrugged her off. Iore huffed. “I bet it had something to do with your money? Maybe your reputation? Or your family? You’re a heartless heir, so what would you care about aside from your riches?”

“IORE, STOP IT!” Tsubasa screamed. “Stop it already! We’ve all had enough.”

Byakuya cleared his throat. “I’m not going to leave the dining hall until daytime tomorrow.”

“Wha-Byakuya, that’s against the rules! What would Monokuma do-” Kiyotaka tried.

“It’s fine. Monokuma can do what he wants.”

\---

So Makoto decided to do what he always did when he was stressed. He got food, and tried to relax. His handbook was the closest thing to a phone, and there was a large supply of junk food and bottled water in the Dining Hall, so he gathered his survival materials, made sure to lock the door, and hunkered down on his bed for a day of decompression.

He opened up his handbook, clicking around on it for something to drag his attention away from the Killing Game. Thankfully, as he scrolled through his handbook, he stumbled across a streaming program, titled “Mr. Monokuma’s School Appropriate Pirate Bay”. He rolled his eyes at the name and began to filter through the top results for something to put on as background noise. Ah, a 10 season long sitcom! Perfect! He pressed play, just as a knock on the door sounded.

Thoroughly disrupted, Makoto used his handbook to unlock his door, opening it to come face to face with Aoi, Chihiro, and Leon.

“Ah! Hi there.” Makoto stated as Hina waved.

“Hey! Sorry if we disrupted you. It’s just…” She started before Chihiro took over.

“I heard the...argument Iore had with Tsubasa. No one but Byakuya had seen you all day and Le-” Leon cleared his throat. “Sorry, I got worried about you.”

“So we came to hang out or whatever. If that’s cool with you.” Leon relayed, pink dusting his cheeks.

“Oh! Of course, we can hang out! I was just planning to spend the day, wallowing I guess, so I’m happy to have company.”

“Sure we’re not interrupting?” Hina asked, a worried look in her eyes. “If you wanna be alone, I get it.”

“Not at all. I was just getting ready to watch some cheesy sitcom, and stuff like that is always better with friends to make fun of it with.” Chihiro giggled at that, as Makoto climbed back onto his bed, Hina, Chihiro, and Leon joining him. He placed his handbook on the middle of the bed, opening up Mr. Monokuma’s School Appropriate Pirate Bay.

“What the hell kind of name is that?” Leon groaned. “We get it, you do everything for us! Stupid bear.”

“Shh! He might be able to hear you!” Hina said, putting a finger over her lips. “Don’t talk bad about him!”

“A-Ah! Please don’t kill us Mr. Monokuma!”

“FUCKING TRY ME, MONOKUMA!”

Makoto laughed. “Don’t threaten him, Leon. At least not yet, when we find a loophole or something, feel free to go ham.” Leon laughed in response, and soon they were tossing jokes back and forth, even the shy and quiet Chihiro throwing her words into the ring, as a laugh-track laden sitcom blared in the background.

This was probably the first positive experience Makoto could cite since he learned he was in a killing game. Three people that liked him, and people that Makoto liked. It was just like they were normal high-school students, not prisoners in a killing game, and Makoto clung to that feeling.

“Have we even talked about how seriously edgy Celeste is? How is this not a topic of discussion we’ve dipped into.” Leon asked, moving closer to Makoto, reaching over him to grab a pillow to hug.

“Yeah! She’s really creepy. It’s like she’s a vampire or something!” Hina laughed.

“Maybe she’ll bring that up next...she loves talking about her rich backstory,” Chihiro stated. “She’s like an Ultimate Liar or something.”

“Creepy…” Makoto sighed.

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Ahem! Ahem! It is now 10 PM, and officially NIGHTTIME! In accordance with the rules, the dining hall and gymnasium are now OFF LIMITS! Any student still inside the gymnasium or dining hall, you will have one more minute to skedaddle outta those rooms! Have a nice night! Don’t let the bed-bugs bite!!!” _

“Ah…” Leon sighed. “Guess we should get going then. I doubt Monokuma would like his students spending the night together.”

“He didn’t have any bias about me and Sakura!” Hina affirmed, getting up to leave.

“See you tomorrow, Makoto.” Chihiro smiled, as all three of them left his dorm room. Makoto waved his handbook in front of the access pad, making sure it’s been locked before returning to his bathroom, taking his medicine, and sliding into bed. Maybe they’d be fine after all if the rest of the game went as well as tonight.

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATER!!!**

**Hey Hey Hey!! The Killing Game is really heatin’ up, am I right??? The first MOTIVE has been delivered to my precious students, which means the fun can finally begin!!! It’s my job as a headmaster to spice up the game, and the motives help curb my intense boredom, so expect more of them!! Now, what will tomorrow hold in its supple little baby hands? More useless filler? Or thrilling, chilling, KILLING?! Puhuhuhu, I simply cannot wait! See you tomorrow everyone, have a nice trauma~!!!!**

\---

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Attention Attention!! All students of Hope’s Peak Academy! It is now 7 AM, which marks the end of nighttime!! Time to rise and shine, my glorious pupils, for such a wonderful learning-filled day at the luxurious Hope’s Peak Academy!!” _

Makoto Naegi awoke, rolling his shoulders to try to relieve any tension his unfortunate sleeping position had left him in. He slipped on his clothes, brushed his teeth, and opened his dorm room door, stepping out into the dorm area.

His ears were immediately met with screams.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE’S NO DOORKNOB?!” That was Kiriko. “THERE CAN’T JUST _ NOT BE A DOORKNOB! _”

“I-It’s gone! I-I’m sorry, please don’t yell at me-” Chihiro’s voice whimpered.

“UGH! STOP YELLING, I CAN’T THINK!!” Touko screamed. The thump that accompanied her words told Makoto she just kicked something. He hurried around the corner.

“What’s going on?” He asked. Celeste turned to him from the crowd of students.

“The doorknob in the dining hall has gone missing.” She said. “My best bet is someone is covering their tracks.”

“Come on, Celeste! Don’t say shit like that!” Yasuhiro groaned. “W-We just gotta break down the door, right? Where’s Sakura?”

“She’s still asleep! I don’t wanna wake her up, but we do need her help…” Hina groaned.

“Wake her up,” Kyoko stated. “If she’s mad, blame it on me.”

“Thanks, Kyoko…” Hina smiled, hurrying off to get Sakura.

“Why would anyone even bother getting rid of the doorknob?! What, are they trying to starve us to death?” Touko snarled. “UGH! This is such bullshit.”

“Quiet down already!” Aiko supplied. “You all are too loud. We just have to wait for the Mighty Sakura to break down the gateway, so stop whining!”

“Listen here, fluffball-”

“The doorknob’s _ missing? _The whole thing?” Sakura’s voice said.

“Mmmhm! The whole thing is gone!” Hina explained.

They two of them rounded the corner to face the rest of the group. “Ah. So someone has sabotaged the dining hall. Well, it’s an easy fix. But before I knock it down, I’d like to affirm that this isn’t against school rules. Would Monokuma like to chime in?”

“Come on, he’s not just gonna pop out of nowhere-”

“You called?????” Monokuma said, appearing on Yasuhiro’s head, making the clairvoyant scream in fear.

“Yes, thanks for answering me,” Sakura explained. “Is it violating school rules if I break down the Dining Hall door?”

“Hmmm…” Monokuma mused to himself. “Usually, yes, but seeing as there’s no doorknob, I’ll allow it just this once! Have at it, Miss Oogami!” The bear promptly took his leave, allowing Sakura to do her business.

“Stand back, everyone.” Her fellow students obliged, as Sakura took a deep breath, delivering a swift kick to the door that sent the whole thing caving in.

“Great work, Sakura!” Hina grinned, grabbing onto her arm.

“It was nothing.” She said, puffing up her chest in a show of pride, making Hina giggle.

“We should get inside already,” Celeste said, stepping ahead of them. “Ah, just as expected.” Celeste aimed her clawed finger at Byakuya Togami, his blonde head of hair facedown at one of the dining hall’s single tables. “The fool must have spent the night.”

“Isn’t that against the rules…?” Aiko worried.

“Apparently not,” Kyoko stated bluntly. “Someone go wake him up already.”

“Hey! Byakuya! Wake up!” He didn’t move or even react to Aiko’s shout. “....Byakuya?” She took more tentative steps towards Byakuya, tapping him lightly. “Hey, Byakuya, wake up already!” She shook him more violently. “BYAKUYA, WAKE-AAAAAHH!!” She pushed him, his form rolling over onto the floor, face up. And they could see what had happened to him.

There are moments in a person's life they never forget. Getting married, having a child, your first kiss. But in the case of 19 students currently playing a killing game, never, not ever in their lives would they forget seeing the lifeless, blood-splattered body of Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Heir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 19/20.


	3. Prom or Hell?-DEADLY LIFE

_ “Puhuhu! A body has been discovered!” _

That voice rang over the P.A system, alerting Makoto that yes, Byakuya was in fact dead.

_“As someone has been found dead, the investigation period will now begin! All remaining students will be allowed _**_3 hours _**_to gather evidence_ _before the Class Trial will begin! Good luck and always remember to have fun, my darling students!”_

“...So,” Celeste stated. “Somebody had the guts to go through with it, didn’t they?” Fear seeped through her perfect smile and pretty voice.

Aiko sobbed. “I mean...he was Byakuya, but it’s still...MURDER! HE DIED!” Tears streamed down her face.

“G-God. Fuck. Shit, goddamnit-” Touko cursed, pulling at her braids. “SHIT! FUCK!”

“What are you all shouting about?!” Junko spat. “I’m trying to sleep!” She came into view, hands on her hips.

“Byakuya’s dead.” Sakura gravely stated.

“What are you talking abo-Oh.” Any words died in Junko’s throat.

Soon enough, no doubt thanks to Monokuma’s announcement, with their reactions being heavily mixed.

Yasuhiro openly cried, hugging his knees to his chest, waiting for death to come for him. 

Leon quietly seethed, drawing blood on his lip from how hard he was biting. Makoto wanted to reach out for his hand, to try to comfort him, but now definetely wasn’t time.

Sayaka watched in horror, motionlessly, eyes wide and empty.

Chihiro had plugged her ears and shoved her head into her sweater, now sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth in an attempt to calm herself.

Taka wasn’t any better, gripping tightly onto Mondo of all people, who was just as attached to him as he was.

Kiriko was attempting to find something to lay over Byakuya’s body so they didn’t have to stare at a corpse all day.

“So? Which one of yu did it?” Sakura broke the deafening silence, her usual patient and cheerful manner shattered by Byakuya’s death.

“Sakura-” Hina tried to reason, but the martial artist continued.

“No, if you were selfish enough to kill Byakuya in cold blood, you must have something to show for it. Atone for yourself, and join Byakuya in whatever afterlife he’s found himself in.” She stated, righteous fury seeping into her voice.

No one dared to speak. Not Celeste, not Kyoko, not Makoto, or even Iore. Sakura crossed her arms and nodded.

“Alright then. But I hope whatever horrible killer is out there realizes that we are going to try the hardest we can to catch you and bring you to justice. Do you understand?” Everyone nodded in unison.

“HEELLLOOOOOO!!!!” Monokuma barged in, kicking the door open in cheerful ebullience. “How are all 19 of my students doing on this fine morning???”

“What do you want...” Makoto grumbled.

“Why, Mr. Naegi! What’s got you down in the dumps??? Could it be….wait, wait, don’t tell me. Could it be….DANG IT, I lost it! Anyway, what’s harshin’ your vibes?” Monokuma giggled.

Makoto’s hands balled into fists. “Someone’s DEAD, you sick bastard!” Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. “How can you, HOW CAN YOU JUST STAND THERE AND LAUGH ABOUT IT?! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU!”

“Puhuhuhuhu! Mr. Naegi, how bold! How very protagonistic of you! The answer’s simple!” He laughed hysterically, a cold, metallic laugh with no meaning. A hollow laugh that rung throughout the room like a gong. “ ** _DESPAIR!_ ** ”

No one moved, no one breathed while Monokuma doubled over, resting on Byakuya’s corpse as he did. He laughed and laughed until he cried non-existent tears, standing back up on his nubby little bear legs and giggling to himself. “Well well well then! Let’s get on with it! Presentinggggg….DA-DA-DAAA!! THE MONOKUMA FILE!!!” He held up a black and white tablet. “Who wants to check out this little baby?? Come on now, don’t by shy! I wanna see hands raised class!”

“I’ll read it.” Sayaka mumbled.

“Great! Here you go, Miss Maizono!” She took it from his hand, clicking it on. Her eye’s darkened as she scanned the file’s contents, then cleared her throat and read:

“Victim: Byakuya Togami.”   
  
“Height: 5’0”.”   
  


“Weight: 140.4lb”

“Time of Death: 12:07 AM”

“Body Discovered by Aiko Umesawa”   
  
“Body Discovery Location: Dining Hall”

“Great job, Miss Maizono!” Monokuma clapped. “Now that’s all for me! Have a nice trauma, everybody!”

The second Monokuma was out of the room, Kyoko rolled her shoulders, and cricked her neck. “Alright. Let’s get to work then.”

\---

Most students left the room after that, only Kyoko, Celeste, and himself remaining inside the dining hall. Makoto could barely stand the lifeless body of Byakuya, much less the prospect that one of his fellow captives had made him this way.

But Kyoko and Celeste seemed unfazed. Kyoko was down on the ground, investigating the wound that had blood streaming down his face. God, Makoto felt like he might puke.

“So what is it? Stab? Bludgeoning weapon?” Celeste inquired, pacing around the room to keep her thoughts flowing.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, Celeste.” Kyoko mumbled.

“I’ve gambled men 5x more then their life savings in less than an hour, Kyoko. Can’t you work just a teensy bit harder, just for me?” Celeste teased, snickering behind her hand.

“A man is DEAD, Celeste!” Makoto protested, but she just waved him off.

“Wait-” Kyoko started, and-oh god, Makoto needed to look away as Kyoko dug her gloved hand into the bloody hole in Byakuya’s head. When Kyoko turned to both of them, blood covering her hand, and a small object inbetween her index finger and thumb, Makoto needed to excuse himself to throw up in the nearest trashcan.

“Are you quite finished, Makoto? We need to discuss the evidence. Time is of the essence here, you dimwit.” Celeste hissed.

“Excuse me if I’m not entirely jaded to the sight of blood, Celeste,” Makoto groaned. “What is it, Kyoko?”

“From what I can tell, its a toothpick.” She stated.

“W-What?!” Makoto asked. “The murder weapon is a toothpick? How does that make sense?”

“The blackened doesn’t want to get caught, obviously. Using a strange weapon like a toothpick would cover their tracks.” Kyoko explained.

“It’d be so painful to die like that…” Makoto sighed.

“But, how would someone even manage to shoot a toothpick into his eye? The door was locked, it was NIGHTTIME.” Makoto exclaimed.

“It’s a murder mystery, Makoto. We just need to collect more evidence-” 

“Kyoko?” Chihiro Fujisaki asked, stepping over the wreckage of the dining hall door. 

“Yes? What do you want?” She responded, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I-I was just going to ask if I could see your motive...I’m interested.” She said. Kyoko’s eyes squinted at her.

“Of course.” She took her handbook out of her pocket and pulled up her video, letting Chihiro press play.

  
  


_ Nothing came into view, but a tall figure whose face was blocked by shade. “Hey there, Kyoko! It’s great to know  _ _ REDACTED _ _ It gives me great joy to invite you, Kyoko Kirigiri, The Ultimate  _ _ REDACTED, here.  _ _ Good job,  _ _ REDACTED..  _ _ See you soon!” Audible static shone over those words, blocking them from reaching their ears. _

“A-Ah.” Chihiro stuttered. “I’m sorry. I should’ve-”

“You suspected me, right? Thought I could’ve done it?” Kyoko asked, tilting her head to the side.

“N-Not exactly!-”

“I’m not mad at you, Chihiro. I’m a suspicious person. You had every reason to find me suspect.” She smiled, a rare sight from Kyoko. 

“T-Thanks, wouldn’t you want to see mine then? Since I made you show me yours?” Chihiro mumbled.

“No. I know you didn’t do it.”

“Y-You do?!”

“Yes. Makoto, Celeste. We’re going to go look for more evidence. Chihiro, you can come along if you like.” Chihiro flushed, then nodded profusely. 

\---

“What the hell…” Celeste groaned. “Why do you people do this? Being on the floor is so….undignified. Completely unnatural for someone of my stature.”

“Yet you’re still helping us lift up the wreckage of the door. Funny how that works, isn’t it?” Kyoko responded.

Celeste groaned. “Sure. Great. Love it.” Apparently wanting someone else to yell at, she turned to Makoto. “Put your back into it. It’s just steel.”

“Do you know what you sound like, Celestia?” Chihiro asked, getting a better angle and leaning her part against the wall. “Stop whining.”

“How is the 4 foot 5 girl stronger than me?” Makoto gaped, and now feeling emasculated, finished the section he and Celeste were charged with. Kyoko finished up, finally giving them access to the door as it would’ve been during the time of the murder.

Kyoko wiped sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her coat. “Good job. Now we can truly investigate.” She took steps towards the door, peeking around the large slab of metal. “I don’t see any obvious hints of a struggle. The door clearly wasn’t broken down and repaired. There aren’t any small gaps or holes in it, as far as I can tell.”

“How does someone just up and…steal a doorknob?” Chihiro mumbled.

“You would need tools to do something like that, right? You can’t just rip the thing out!” Makoto said. Really only the stronger students could do that. Sakura or Mondo are the only two that came to mind. Great! Now he was thinking about Mondo’s muscles! This is a MURDER SCENE.

“The warehouse! Mayhaps the killer got some tools from the warehouse?” Celeste asked, spinning hair around her clawed finger.

“Good idea.” Kyoko answered. “Let’s investigate the warehouse then. If there’s signs of a struggle, or any missing tools, maybe we’ll have a hint at our killer’s plan of action.”

\---

“Touko?” Makoto asked upon seeing the girl rooting around the warehouse. She jumped in surprise at the sudden increase in people.

“JESUS, FUCK-!” She screamed. “GIVE A GIRL A WARNING, WILL YOU?! FUCKING CHRIST!” She shook her head, taking a breath before making eye contact. “What do you maxi-sads want.”

Ignoring the phrase ‘maxi-sads’, Kyoko pressed. “Do you know if there are any tools in here? Like a crowbar, or a screwdriver?”

“W-What, are you accusing me?! Trying to implicate me in the murder!?” Touko shouted. “I know my rights! I demand a fair trial!”

“We aren’t accusing you, Touko. We’re just looking to gather evidence.” Makoto said, trying to mediate. “Just, do you know of any tools in here?”

“WHAT ARE YOU, A COP?! GET OFF MY DICK ALREADY, JEEZ!” She spat, pushing past Kyoko and out the door.

“Christ.” Celeste sighed, putting a hand on her forehead.

“Tell me about it…” Chihiro groaned. “What was she even looking for in here, anyway?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Kyoko said. “We should look around. See if there’s anything we can find.”

“Cool. Spread out, everyone!” Makoto rallied. “If there’s a toolbox or anything, bring it back to the entrance of the warehouse. We’ll reconvene there.” Makoto explained, as all of them followed his instructions.

Time flew by. God the warehouse was packed full of everything one could possibly need, and things no one really needed ever. Wooden skeletons, posters of technicolor anime characters, real actual swords, rubber gloves, a fair amount of toxic materials, a stock of candy cigarettes, fresh coaches whistles, hello kitty band-aids, hamster chow, polaroid film, a meat shaped food skewer, golden spray paint, hair dye of every color, the list went on and on and on, but FINALLY, Makoto returned to the entrance with a tray of wrenches.

“OKAY.” He said, setting it down next to a toolbox procured by Kyoko and a very obviously used crowbar found by Chihiro.

“The wrenches seem to the intact, but that crowbar is covered in woodchips. We should corroborate with the door, in case the removal of the knob was some kind of hack-job.” Celeste stated.

“I’d like to investigate the toolbox first...If that’s okay.” Chihiro said. Celeste rolled her eyes and waved her hand. Kyoko leaned down, unhooking the latch and opening the box fully. It was all but empty, save for a few nuts and bolts.

“That…complicates things.” Makoto said. “So, someone, over the last two days, used a crowbar and got it covered in woodchips, and completely emptied a toolbox?”

“Maybe they tried to get rid of the doorknob, but they couldn’t with the tools, so they had to use the crowbar?” Chihiro tried, messing with her hair.

“We have no idea as of yet. Come on, we need more evi-”

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

“Fuck.” Kyoko cursed as Monokuma began speaking.

_ “Ahem! Ahem! Attention all students! As of now, your allotted three hours of investigation time is now OVER! And the class trial can now begin!!! Ah, I’m just so excited to see what will happen!! Will the blackened be unmasked, or will they walk free and leave all of you behind in the dust??? What will happen in this THRILLING, CHILLING, KILLING CLASS TRIAL??? Let’s find out! All students report to the Symbol of Strength so that we may begin!!” _

The P.A switched off, leaving the four of them in silence.

“Damn it!” Kyoko spat, kicking the side of the toolbox. “We wasted our time! This won’t be easy.”

“Was it ever going to be? Considering we’re literally investigating a killer here? Let’s just get to the statue.” Celeste chided, walking out the door, Kyoko sneering after her, most likely chatting about their suspicions on the way there.

“Alright, Chihiro.” Makoto sighed. “We should get going now.”

“O-Okay.” Chihiro sighed, she looked about ready to cry.

“We’ll be alright. No one is dying again on my watch, okay?”  
“R-right! Nothing’s gonna go wrong!” She smiled, though it was very obviously forced. 

\----

“Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!!!!! Ahh, I’m just so excited for today! The first CLASS TRIAL is upon us!!” Monokuma cheered, his voice elated as the remaining 19 students gathered around the Symbol of Strength statue. The bear himself was perched upon the head of the statue,holding a container of popcorn in his right paw, a pair of 3d glasses on his face.

“Must you mock us as you force us to accuse one another of murder?” Celeste flippantly inquired.

“Miss Ludenberg, I DO NOT appreciate your tone!” Monokuma huffed.

“Well, we don’t appreciate having our lives threatened!” Kotomi shouted, her hands balled into fists.

“Can we just get this shit over with already?” Mondo growled. Just get on with the damn trial, don’t keep us in suspense!”

“But, Mr. Oowada, the suspense is the best part!!! It draws out the emotion, the tension! The mystery!! Don’t you get it?”

“No!! No we don’t!!! Because we aren’t fucking murder-crazy stuffed animals!” Leon spat.

“If we must proceed with the trial, please, just bite the bullet and proceed!” Kiyotaka huffed in his usual commanding tone, as all 19 students glared at Monokuma.

“Sheesh, harsh…” He whined. “Welp! Can’t pad this out anymore! Come on Elevator! Opennnnn seasame!!!” On Monokuma’s word, the Symbol of Strength twisted and transformed. The image of an unconquerable force that ravaged the land disassembled itself, any trace that it was once a bear was gone. All that remained was a large, ornate golden elevator. “Alrighty!! Hop on in, everyone!”

“W-WHERE ARE YOU TAKING US?!” Touko screamed. “I’m not getting in anything unless you tell us e-exactly were we’re going!!!”

“Woah, Woah! Tone down the volume, Miss Fukawa!!” Monokuma shouted. “We’re merely traveling to The Hope’s Peak School Trial Grounds! Every trial needs a courtroom, and your lovely headmaster is here to provide! You should be thanking me, we’re not debating in some stinky ol’ basement or anything!!”

“Stop being so nonchalant about this! We’re about to accuse eachother of murder! We’re about to try and find out who KILLED Byakuya! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?! Can you at least give us the respect to be serious?!” Sayaka screamed, tears threatening to pour from her eyes.

“Miss Maizono, I assure you.” Monokuma said, his whirring voice synthesizing near-demonic laughter. “I am 100%, absolutely serious. Mr. Monokuma is never kidding with you.” And the next second, he was back to the crazed bear he had always been. “Now!! Could everyone please get into the elevator? Then the Class Trial can begin!!!”

And, per Monokuma’s instruction, all 19 students filed into the golden casket that was to put them into their grave. Makoto Naegi had never feared being buried alive, but right about now he was entirely terrified that Monokuma would trap them in whatever hellish trial grounds they were to be thrown into, left to starve as Monokuma cackled all the way. The only body to survive belonging to Byakuya Togami.

\---

The elevator plummeted and so did Makoto’s stomach. Monokuma wasn’t with them inside--most likely to preserve tension--but knowing him he would likely do what he did best, and end up coming out of nowhere to scare them all.

“What are you all so quiet for?” Celeste asked no one in particular. “I for one am excited to see the Killing Game continue. Aren’t you all?”

“OF COURSE I’M NOT EXCITED!” Yasuhiro wailed. “Someone’s DEAD, and now we have to go to a trial, and then k-KILL ANOTHER PERSON, and I ALREADY HATED JURY DUTY!!!”

“I just wanna get it over with. We’ll play Monokuma’s sick game then bounce, once it’s over, we all just gotta agree that something like this EVER happens again. Got it?” Junko bristled, her voice radiating hate and venom.

“Of course.” Celeste smiled, as the elevator finished it’s slow descent, the funeral becoming open casket.

The Trial Grounds were truly impressive. Rows upon rows of massive wooden seats piled behind eachother in an endless uphill expanse. Of course, no one sat there, but it created the affect that something was watching Makoto. Enjoying the show they were about to participate in.

Arranged in a perfect circle, 21 podiums faced inward, each one lit up with a small board of buttons. Just behind the 21st, sat a massively tall chair, with red velvet cushions on the grand throne. Sitting snug on cloud nine sat Monokuma, cackling as the students filed in.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome, my dear students!!!” He laughed, the gears inside his head turning at mach speed. “Ah, it just makes my mechanical heart melt to see all of you here!”

“Let’s just get this over with already.” Makoto grumbled.

“Wow, Mr. Naegi!! Just for that attitude, you can take podium #1!!” Monokuma chuckled, as Makoto felt like he had just been told to put his neck under the blade of a guillotine.

Somehow not shaking, he stood behind Podium #1, his shaking hands gripping onto the handles like his life depended on it. The rest of the students took their podium’s, and Monokuma began the trial.

“Before we start, I’d like to review the rules!” Monokuma laughed. “As you all know, you are here to debate over and present your arguments on who killed Byakuya Togami, The Ultimate Heir!” He laughed his horrid laugh, and continued. “The Class Trial will be an open debate, where everyone will proclaim their arguments. If you figure out whodunnit, and picked out the Blackened who disrupted the peace, they will be executed for their crime! But if you pick the wrong one…..I’ll execute everyone BESIDES the Blackened, who will be allowed to claim their prize, freedom from my glorious Killing Game, and graduation from the academy! With that out of the way, ALL RISE FOR THE FIRST CLASS TRIAL OF YOUR KILLING SCHOOL LIFE!” Monokuma banged a gavel on the arm of his chair, signifying the start of the Class Trial.

“Before we present our arguments,” Celeste began. “I’d like to ask a question.”

“I’ll allow it! Go ahead, Miss Ludenberg!” Monokuma responded.

“How come there are 21 podiums, if there are only 20 students? Why build one extra?” She asked.

“Well, that’s just an empty space! Architects want stuff to be even, and Mr. Monokuma here doesn’t see too well out of his left eye, so this just helps with symmetry, puhuhuhu!”

“...Fair enough.” She responded.

“Any other questions???” Monokuma asked, as Kotomi raised her hand. “Yes, Miss Ikuta?”

“W-what’s with….that?” She pointed her finger at podium number 5, where, connected to a large metal pole, was a framed and decorated effigy to Byakuya Togami, his face displayed in greyscale, and crossed over with a bright pink hammer and sickle posed like an X.

“Well, since Mr. Togami will never see a class trial, or the light of day again, that effigy is just so he can participate in spirit! Nothing more, nothing less!” Monokuma cackled.

“A-Alright then. Cool.” Kotomi responded.

“ALRIGHT!” Kiyotaka shouted. “NOW THAT THAT’S OUT OF THE WAY, WHOEVER DID IT, RAISE YOUR HAND!”

“No one’s that stupid you dumbass!” Junko shouted. “They aren’t gonna convict themselves, it’d get them killed!”

“It’s the polite thing to do!!” Mondo shouted in agreement. “Come on! Show yourself, murderer!”

“Could you please shut up?” Kiriko growled. “I can’t think with your voices grating on my ears.” She picked at her glove, adjusting her hair-bows.

“I think we should review our evidence before we start accusations.” Makoto chmed in, trying to stop arguments from breaking out.

“Huh? Why? I don’t think we need to. I already know who did it.” Iore added, smiling widely.

“I-It’s a little early to be deciding who did it…” Chihiro whispered. “Going over our evidence will help us find out the key suspect.”

“I agree with Iore!!” Aiko shouted. “We should just accuse someone and get it over with! It’s a 1/19 chance right? I got a d19 right here!”

“Does a 19 sided dice even exist?” Celeste inquired.

“I’m the Ultimate Tabletop Roleplayer! Comissioning special made die is no problemo for someone like me!” She grinned, grabbing an oddly shaped dice from her hoodie pocket, shaking it around in her hand. “Rolling for a wisdom check!” She threw the die on her podium, as it rattled around, with Aiko’s intent eyes following it as it fell. “Ah! An 18! I knew my suspicions were correct!”

“Well? Who did it? If you’re so sure, we can just accuse someone and get all of this over with. If you’re okay with endangering all of our lives, that is.” Kyoko stated, making Aiko waver a bit.

“J-Junko! Junko did it!”

“WHAT?! How the fuck did  _ I  _ do it?!” Junko spat. “That’s so lame, how could you, Aiko!”

“How could I not?! You’re the bombastic loud one! A rogue, or, or maybe a thief! You’re totally untrustworthy in a murder mystery setting!” She shouted.

“Newsflash dickhead! We ain’t roleplaying! This is life or death, and I’m really not looking’ to die!” She shouted, her acrylic nails looking like a demon’s claws as she screamed at the tabletop roleplayer.

“I don’t know, Junko...Please don’t take umbrage to this, but you are a tad bit suspicious.” Kiriko murmured.

“Yeah! See? With a temper like that, she could totally snap and kill Byakuya!” Yasuhiro agreed.

“UGH! What the fuck, you guys?! Do you all really think that I did it?!” Junko responded. “I can’t believe you!”

“I-IT’S NOT OUR FAULT YOU’RE SO DRAMATIC!” Touko screamed. “MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP YELLING ALL THE TIME, THEN WE WOULDN’T SUSPECT YOU!”

“OH BOY, THAT’S RICH COMING FROM YOU! YOU CAN’T KEEP YOUR DAMN MOUTH SHUT HALF THE TIME!” Junko fired back.

“Everyone!” Kyoko shouted, whistling sharply, drawing the attention of her classmates. “This isn’t how a trial like this should work. We need to go over our alibis first, discuss our evidence, and then we can wildly accuse people. Got it?” She spat, crossing her arms over her chest.”

“Yeah, sure whatever.” Aiko grumbled.

“Thank you. We’ll start with Makoto, and go in sequential order.” She responded, opening the floor for Makoto to speak.

“Ah, thanks.” Makoto cleard his throat. “I was asleep by the time Byakuya was killed.”

Leon, who stood at Podium #2, went next. “I was asleep. I might be a punk, but one who’s well rested.”  
Podium #3, Sayaka, spoke. “Same thing. I had just gotten to sleep around the time Byakuya passed.”

“I was working on something in my room.” Chihiro, Podium #4 said.

“Working on something…??? Do tell, Miss Fujisaki!”

“A-Ah! It’s nothing, I swear!”

“Hmmm…. Carry on!!” Monokuma grinned, as Chihiro visibly shrunk.

The person standing at Podium #5 could not give his alibi, as the person standing at Podium #5 was no longer alive.

“I was fast asleep in uh, in my dorm room the same time I always go to sleep, at 9 o’ clock sharp!” Kiyotaka, Podium #6, testified.

“I was getting my beauty sleep. Even someone like me has to get to bed early to stop eye bags.” Celestia, Podium #7, explained.

“I was in the warehouse.” Iore smiled, standing as tall as a 4 foot girl could at Podium #8.

“What?” Makoto asked. “You were?”

“Mmhm! I was looking for some things. We’ll get there. Next?” Iore said, pointing to Yasuhiro next to her.

“Uh ...yeah. I was asleep, same as most of you…” Yasuhiro, Podium #9, stated, trying hard not to eye Iore suspiciously.

“I was trying to make a decent outfit from the numerous copies of this dress in my room all night. A tailor must keep her skills sharp, and, if I may go off topic, I find it quite rude of Monokuma not to provide me with a wide variety of clothes.” Kiriko, Podium #10 stated.

“Geez, Miss Nishizawa! What kind of budget do you think I have?! Your poor lil’ headmaster isn’t made of money!”

“And? These dresses are all incredibly cheap! You might as well have bought me rags!”

“Moving on, I was asleep.” Kyoko, Podium #11, said, desperately trying to move the conversation away from Kiriko’s wardrobe problems.

“I was asleep. Hina can testify.” Sakura, Podium #12, stated, as Hina sputtered from her podium.

“I was cleaning my dorm room.” Tsubasa, Podium #13, explained. “Though, I assure you I didn’t kill Byakuya.”

“I, was in the gym.” Junko said, standing at Podium #14.

“R-really?! What were you doing in the gym! You had no reason to be in the g-gym!” Aiko said, wildly pointing around at Junko.

“Wait your turn, fluffball! NEXT!” Junko shouted as Aiko yelled at her from her podium.

“I was in the library! I wanted some decent, read-reading material!” Touko, at Podium #15 stated.

“I was in my dorm room.” Mondo, at Podium #16 grumbled. “Nothing weird about it or anythin’!”

“Like, like Sakura said, I was in her dorm room.” Hina said, blushing at Podium #17.

“I was in my dorm room, going over my magical tome of knowledge! Unlike some super suspicious girls who were in the GYM!” Aiko protested, standing at Podium #18.

“I was in bed, obviously.” Kotomi huffed from her place at Podium #19. “Now can we finally get on with the evidence?”

“Yes, now that we’ve established everyone’s alibis, we can present the evidence we acquired.” Kyoko stated. “Who wants to go first?”

“Well, first of all, the doorknob was stolen!” Kiyotaka shouted. “A direct violation of school rules!”

“In the warehouse, we discovered an empty toolcase, raided of any tools.” Makoto added. “Which means someone, over the days we’ve been here, has taken them all for personal use.”

“Also in the warehouse...we found a crowbar covered in woodchips...which suggests that it was used to remove the doorknob.” Chihiro mumbled.

“Good. Now, before we go back to randomly throwing out accusations,” Kyoko shot a dirty look at Aiko before continuing. “I’d like to discuss the murder weapon.”

Makoto’s stomach lurched remembering the gruesome murder scene. “Right. There was a toothpick lodged in his eye, right?”

“Precisely. Which means it was probably stabbed into there.” Celeste explained.

“B-But that doesn’t make any sense!” Yasuhiro shouted. “B-Byakuya was locked inside the Dining Hall all night! How could anyone manage to stab him after the dining hall was locked?!”

“That’s what we’ll have to figure out, then.” Makoto sighed. “Now, Byakuya-”

“Touko did it.” Iore said.

“W-WHAT?! That’s such a baseless accusation! You don’t have any evidence! You can’t just tell everyone I killed him with nothing to back up your claim you piece of shit!” Touko screamed, ripping at her tie.

“Evidence? Well, Touko always hated Byakuya the most out of everyone! You were always the first one to shout at him and bully him, the motive is all there! Plus, you’re just so darn aggressive! It makes perfect sense for you to be the one who did it…” Iore mumbled, as Toko’s rage was only heightened.

“H-HOW DARE YOU, YOU STUPID BRAT! I’D NEVER KILL HIM, I JUST DON’T HAVE IT IN ME! NOT SAYING I’LL MISS THAT CAPITALIST PIECE OF GARBAGE, BUT I WOULDN’T KILL HIM! ESPECIALLY NOT WHEN THERE’S CONSEQUENCES! ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU KEEP SAYING I DID IT, I’D GLADLY-”

“Ah!!! Please, Touko, don’t kill me next…” Iore cowered, shrinking down and hiding behind her podium.

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Touko. “You don’t seriously think I did it, do you?! I-I’d never kill someone! You have to believe me!”

“Well…” Makoto sighed. “You do have an understandable motive. It makes sense for you to be a prime suspect.”

“I, I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU! YOU’RE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! COME ON, LAUGH AT THE STUPID MAD GIRL! IT’S FINE, I’M USELESS ANYWAY!” She shouted, ripping at her braids.

“Look, Touko, I don’t want to suspect you either, but just look at how you’re acting at the slightest of threats!” Iore mumbled. “It’s not anything against you, I swear! I’m just exposing those who are guilty for the goodwill of the class.”

“GOODWILL MY ASS!” Touko screamed. “I didn’t do anything, and there’s still no evidence that I actually did it!”

“Really? Didn’t you yourself say you were in the library last night? At the time Byakuya was murdered?” Iore stated.

“BUT- I COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT! STOP, JUST STOP ALREADY! PLEASE, I DONT WANNA DIE!” Touko screamed, tears threatening to stream down her face as Iore stared at her impasively.

“Such is the hand of justice.” She sighed. “Well I think I’m ready to vote, Monokuma! How about all of you?”

“HOLD IT!” Kyoko shouted, pointing a gloved finger at Iore.

“What? Do you have some new, previously unknown evidence or something? I’m convinced Touko did it.” Tsubasa stated.

“No, but I believe I’ve finally connected the dots.” Kyoko smiled. “Allow me to lead you through the murder.” She said, switch the side her braid is centered on. “So, imagine you are Byakuya’s killer. You just watched your motive video, and fueled by grief or righteous anger, you start to devise your plan to kill. For whatever reason, you decide on Byakuya Togami, Ultimate Heir.”

“Where is this going exactly?” Kiriko asked.

“You know Byakuya will be spending the night in the Dining Hall, so you wonder how you’re going to get at him while he’s locked inside.”

“Wait, how did Monokuma not execute Byakuya?” Kotomi asked. “If you fall asleep outside a dorm room, it’s automatic execution, right?”

“While that is correct, Miss Ikuta, the thing is, Byakuya was already dead before he would’ve fallen asleep! So it’s a shame the blackened got to him before I did! Puhuhuhu!”

“If I may continue, you first try busting down the door, but quickly realize that would be violating school rules, and get you executed.” Kyoko continued. “So you try to get some tools from the warehouse.”

“THE WAREHOUSE?!” Mondo shouted. “If the killer went to the warehouse, then it’s obviously Iore!! She’s been totally suspicious this whole time, and her alibi said she was in the warehouse last night!”

“M-Mondo…? How, how could you suspect me…? I thought we were friends, but I guess I was wrong.” Iore sniffled, convincing tears threatening to spill over her eyes.

“Yeah, Mondo…” Kiyotaka sighed. “That is a sort of low blow.”

“BUT-!”

“Please stop interrupting me.” Kyoko hissed. “Anyway you’re looking for a way into the dining hall without violating a school rule. What do you do?”

“You try to take the door off it’s hinges?” Tsubasa tried. “It technically wouldn’t be destruction of school property, so you could get away with it, right?”

“Exactly, and there is evidence that supports that theory, Tsubasa.” Kyoko appraised.

“That’s right! The toolbox was all but ransacked, so someone could’ve easily took it off it’s hinges!” Makoto smiled.

“Ah, Ah, Ah, Makoto.” Celeste chided. “But that isn’t what happened. How do you explain the missing doorknob? For what reason would the doorknob be missing, if not to cover some sort of tracks?”

“Ah, I guess you are right.” Makoto adhered, allowing Kyoko to continue.

“Celeste, I believe you are wrong in assuming that the dissappearance of the tools has no link to the murder. I don’t think it has anything to do with the doorknob, but Tsubasa’s theory definitely plays a role in the killer’s plan.” Kyoko added.

“Really? Do go on then.” Celeste smiled her usual smile, looking at Kyoko with a funny glint in her eyes.

“While we have no pictures of the doorknob, as we didn’t recover it during the investigation, I know for a fact what it looked like.” Kyoko stated, making Leon groan.

“What does it look like then? Why are we just supposed to just go along with whatever you say?” He grumbled. “I still think Junko or Touko did it.”

“SHUT YOUR PUNK MOUTH!” Touko screamed from her podium.

“Popular vote dictates who we decide on, please keep that in mind.” Tsubasa added.

“MOVING ON!” Aoi cut in. “The doorknob! What did it look like, Kyoko?”

“It had a keyhole.”

“And? What’s so special about this keyhole?” Sayaka inquired, head perched on her hand.

“It’s precisely the keyhole that allowed this murder to take place.” Kyoko smiled.

“What sense does that make?!” Yasuhiro whined. “It’s a stupid keyhole!”

“Allow me to remind you all of the murder weapon.” Kyoko said, as cool and collected as always. “A simple toothpick. Sure, it’s sharp, but would it even kill him? Or make it to him?” She said.

“GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!” Aiko cried. “I can’t take this anymore!”

Kyoko grinned, an unsettling look on her face. “Well, the keyhole is surely big enough to allow a toothpick through.”

“Are you saying someone chucked it in?!” Leon shouted. “How the hell does that make sense?”

“It was shot in.” She stated, her grin unwavering.

“S-Shot?!” Makoto asked. “But, how could anyone manage to  _ shoot  _ a toothpick inside?!”

“Well, I’m not sure if you would know this Makoto, but all of our rooms are stocked with tools related to our talents.” Sakura stated. “For instance, I have a few training dummies.”

“I have an automated table to play poker with.” Celeste explained.

“Precisely. And, if someone were to have a weapon to shoot with-”

“What are you-”

“And the toothpick-”

“Stop it. STOP IT.”

“And, shooting such a tiny object through a keyhole would be child’s play for-”

“DONT YOU FUCKING SAY IT!”

“The Ultimate Sharpshooter, Kotomi Ikuta.” Kyoko’s smile shrunk down into her usual neutral look, as Kotomi frantically looked around the trial grounds.

“C-Come on! You don’t actually believe her insane ramblings, do you?” Kotomi shook. She’s just rambling nonsense, I’m totally innocent!”

Everyone stayed silent.

“Right? RIGHT?” Kotomi cried, but Monokuma just laughed.

“Well Well Well! This sure took an exciting turn!!!” Monokuma cackled, as screens descended from the ceiling, blaring in bright pink text that read ‘VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME!’. “What’s that sound??? Wow!!! Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttt’s VOTING TIME!!!!”

Now this was the part Makoto dreaded the most. Sure, the whole trial had been a mess of accusations and screaming, but now Makoto had to accuse someone. Lay down his opinion, and say that they were the killer. Makoto was ready to cry as Monokuma explained the rules of Voting Time.

“Now, if you all would pleeeease direct your attention to your Podiums? A super-duper special dashboard should be waiting!!” Sure enough, Makoto looked down just in time to see his podium light up in red buttons, each one labeled with the name of another classmate. “Once I open the polls, you all will simply push the button and vote for who you think disturbed the peace and became blackened! Eeeee, I simply can’t wait to see the results!! Who's it gonna be, who's it gonna be???!!!!”

The screens changed to read “POLLS OPEN!!”, as the other students tapped buttons on their dashboards below. Makoto, with a shaking hand, examined the suspects surrounding him. He tried to link away brimming tears, before pressing button number 19, the one corresponding to Kotomi Ikuta.

“And with that, the votes are in!!! Let’s tally em up, shall we??” Monokuma laughed, as the screens shifted to record votes. Images of every student flashed before his eyes, with an empty bar below the images, listing the number of people who voted for that person. After a half minute that felt like an eternity, the images stopped, leaving just three silhouettes.

“In third place, with...5 votes! Iore Kitabayashi! Good job!” Monokuma cackled.

“5 votes…? Wow, I pride myself on my credibility, so I hope you didn't vote for me for no reason!” Iore laughed, still smiling.

“In second place, with 6 votes! Touko Fukawa! Wow, only by one?” Monokuma grinned.

Touko stayed silent, refusing to maintain eye contact with anyone.

“And in first place with….WOWIE ZOWIE! 8 votes!! Kotomi Ikuta!!!” Monokuma laughed, “Applause all around! Wow, and no one abstained? I was expecting at least someone to not vote! Anyway, should we get on with the reveal?”

“Get it over with already,” Makoto said, his voice shaking as tears streamed down his face.

“Well if you insist.” Monokuma laughed. “Now, let’s find out who killed Byakuya Togami, The Ultimate Heir! Did you guess right? Or did you guess wrong! Let’s find out in the thrilling, chilling, KILLING conclusion to the first-class trial!!!”

The screens changed again, to a roulette wheel, split into 20 slices, each one marked with the face of a student. Within seconds, a cartoon Monokuma pulled the lever, as the wheel spun, all the colors blending together as it twirled so rapidly. “And, the true identity of the blackened is…” The wheel stopped.

“ ** _KOTOMI IKUTA, THE ULTIMATE SHARPSHOOTER!!!” _ ** Monokuma slowly turned to Kotomi, looking her dead in the eye as his hysterical, despair filled laughter drowned out every other thought in Makoto’s mind. “Congratulations everyone!!! You uncovered the truth! The person who killed Byakuya Togami is Kotomi Ikuta! I’m so proud of all of you my dear students!”

“Oh, I guess I was wrong, then.” Iore sighed. “Oh well.”

“Kotomi…” Chihiro visibly shook as she spoke. “Why? Why’d you kill him?”

Kotomi didn’t speak. Her fingernails dug into her palms, leaving red crescents there.

“Please...Just out with it already!” Yasuhiro cried. Kotomi just stared at her podium. The screens changed to a live feed of Kotomi’s dashboard. Button number 19 was lit up.

“I’m-” Kotomi’s voice was lost in her throat. “I’m so sorry,” She looked up at everyone, the screens matching to a live feed of Kotomi’s expression, tears like rivers streaming down her face. “Father, I’m, I’m SO SORRY!” 

“Father?” Hina gasped. “What happened to your father?”

Kotomi took a breath, struggling to wipe tears away from her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve.

“Ooh!! What a twist!” Monokuma guffawed. “Let’s get the whole story, straight from the horse’s mouth!” Monokuma cackled as the screens shifted.

_ “Hello, Kotomi.” Said a man with fiery red hair, pulled into a small ponytail. “First of all, I love you, but you already knew that. You’ve come so far from your childhood, and it makes me the happiest father in the world to see you finally acknowledged for all the hard work you’ve done, my little firecracker.” His smile threatened to break off his face. “Now you promise me you’ll only become even better while you’re at Hope’s Peak Academy. See you over the break, Kotomi.” Then the screen faded to static. When the image returned, the office the man had been sitting in was torn to shreds. The armchair he had sat himself in was ravaged, and instead sat Monokuma. _

_ “Now now now, what could’ve happened to Kotomi’s beloved father, Shinji Ikuta?” Monokuma’s massive grin grew impossibly wider.  _

_ The screen cut to black, the only thing left on screen was a few bright red words. _

** _FIND OUT AFTER GRADUATION_ **

Makoto was disgusted. Not only had Komaru been kidnapped, or, whatever Monokuma did, but he did this to OTHER people’s family? Unforgivable. There’s no other word for it.

“So...you killed Byakuya, just to see your father again?” Kyoko asked, her face twisting into a mix of confusion and sympathy.

“Shit, man…” Mondo groaned, head in his hand. “I’m sorry…”

“Why are you the one apologizing?” Kotomi sniffed, leaning on her podium. “I’m the one who killed him.” She straightened her posture. “My dad, he was, he provided for all of us. He taught me to shoot. He was the only one to support me and my siblings! He, he’s everything to me! And…and I let him down! It’s all my fault!”

“Kotomi, your dad would be proud of you! You did your best in this horrific situation, didn’t you?” Makoto tried to encourage her, as she refused to meet Makoto’s eye.

“No. I deserve what’s coming to me. My father would be disgusted with me. I took a life. I’m a sharpshooter, and what I did was an abuse of the art of sharpshooting. I’m a disgrace to the Ikuta name.”

“Kotomi-!”

“That’s enough!!” Monokuma laughed. “All of you, whining on and on, it’s so borrrringgggggg!!!” Monokuma sighed. “Can we just get on with the punishment? I’ve been itching to watch an execution take place!!”

“Yes. I’m ready, Monokuma.” Kotomi sighed, resolute.

“Well, then simply step through that there doorway!!” Monokuma pointed to a steel door marked ‘VACANT’, that Makoto swore wasn’t there a minute ago.

“No! I'm not gonna let this happen!” Sakura shouted. “Kotomi, come on, resist!” Kotomi eyed Sakura with despondent eyes.

“I earned this.” She whispered, just as Monokuma’s laughter drowned out the other student’s protesting screams.

“Let’s get it going!!!  ** _THRILLS, CHILLS, KILLS!!! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!” _ ** Monokuma laughed and laughed, as the doors opened. Kotomi stepped over into the door, as the door slammed shut behind her, the sign above it changing to read: ‘IN USE’

The screens changed to read:

**CONGRATULATIONS!**

**KOTOMI IKUTA HAS BEEN FOUND GUITY**

  
  


**TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!**

As the screen changed to read this, a 16-bit sprite of Kotomi was dragged away by a 16-bit Monokuma. The screen changed once more:

Kotomi Ikuta opened her eyes, trying to stand up. Unfortunately, she couldn’t stand up, as her arms and legs were bound, and she was tied to a giant target. She looked ahead, to see a bunch of needlessly intricate obstacles, but at the very end, was a veritable army of Monokumas, each one wielding specially branded crossbows, aimed right at her.

**THE ULTIMATE TRICKSHOT**

Kotomi’s breath was caught in her throat as the target began to rotate, crossbow bolts piercing the target , narrowly missing her. She closed her eyes, only hearing the quiet impact of the bolts hitting behind her. Seconds passed as the Monokumas kept missing, until she cried in pain as one pierced her lower leg. She huffed as steel stabbed through her calf. Her breathing heaved, as she tried to tear and pull at the rope keeping her arms bound. She was able to escape this. She had to. Arrows kept hitting, each one narrowly missing. She threw a glance up at her left arm. Boy that arrow was close, wasn’t it. If she could just grab it, she could break the rope. She could-Kotomi screamed as another arrow hit her, straight through her left palm. The target spun faster and faster as Kotomi tried to hold onto consciousness. Her arms strained and pulled against the ropes, desperate for escape. Her last thoughts were of how she deserved this, before an arrow pierced her heart.

“HOLY MACKEREL!!! WASN’T THAT EXCITING, MY STUDENTS?!” Monokuma exclaimed with glee once the execution had finished.

“E-Exciting?” Sayaka grimaced. “How dare you! How dare you treat this as anything more than blatant torture!”

Even Celeste’s ever present static grin had disappeared from her face, a shocked grimace of disgust was the only expression that she showed. “You’re...deplorable. How can a human being stoop so low?”

“Well, first of all, I ain’t no human being! Second of all, losing all empathy and care for other people’s wellbeing is really quite easy! Just don’t be a frickin’ LOSER! PUHUHUHUHUHU!”

Makoto cast his gaze out to the now 18 students remaining. They were all terrified. With wet eyes and scared, gritted teeth, they all watched as Monokuma cackled over them, total control over everything that happened here. They were powerless.

In this moment, in this very moment, all Makoto felt was raw, total despair. Any hope of truth, any hope of love, luck or happiness was snuffed out. And Monokuma laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18/20


	4. 1,000 Feet Under-DAILY LIFE

Sure, the elevator was rising, but anything and everything about Makoto was falling. His spirits, his head, even his brain felt like it was falling. Everyone else said nothing. Makoto looked to his right. The space Kotomi had once filled on the trip down was now empty.

The sounds of faint crying cut them out of their silence. Makoto tracked the sound over to Chihiro, who sobbed into her sleeve. _It’ll all be okay, Chihiro!_ He had said, such a short time ago. God, what a pathetic liar he was.

“Chihiro?” Aoi asked. “E-Everything alright?”

“OF COURSE NOT!” She screamed. “W-We just KILLED SOMEONE! How are you all not crying! Someone just DIED!” She wailed, hands balling the fabric of her skirt into fists.

“We didn’t kill someone,” Junko stated. “Monokuma did.” She just stared straight down, dark blue eyes unmoving from the floor, her face wrought with doubt.

“Yeah! Sure, someone just died, but it was a necessity, right?” Aiko asked no one in particular.

“Shut up!” Junko shouted, her pondering turning to anger in the blink of an eye. “Haven’t you said enough for the day?!”

“Calm down, Junko. We don’t want another murder, do we?” Celeste smiled.

“Oh, so you’re accusing me too now, huh?!” Junko screamed. “Why don’t you all just admit you HATE ME! Go on, do it!”

“No one here hates anybody!” Yasuhiro protested.

“BOLD WORDS COMING FROM THE GUY WHO ACCUSED ME OF MURDER A FEW MINUTES AGO!!” Touko shouted.

“T-That was Iore’s fault!” Hiro deflected.

“Can you all just BE QUIET!” Kiyotaka shouted above the crowd, and almost on cue, the elevator stopped its ascent, and the students filed out as Kiyotaka talked. “We won’t get anywhere if we fight! We’re already down two students, and if...things continue on like this, then it’s only going to get worse!” Taka pleaded.

“The dude’s right.” Mondo agreed. “I’m always down for a fight, but we’re in a unique sitch here. If we get to starting fights or holding grudges, that’s just more motive for Monokuma to exploit.”

“Precisely!” Taka praised, grinning widely. “I’m not asking you to be friends, but please, don’t brew up more trouble.”

“Sure whatever.” Junko grumbled.

“I’ll try my best!” Iore grinned, as everyone else mumbled their approval.

\---

Everyone went their separate ways after that. Makoto didn’t pay a lot of attention to it. He just went straight to his dorm room and planted his face into his bed. He had woken up just a few short hours ago, and now Kotomi was dead, and he had participated in her murder. He killed Kotomi Ikuta.

He thought about the girl with fiery red hair then. He hadn’t been close to her--not like he was with Leon or Kyoko--but he hadn’t considered her an enemy. He didn’t consider her at all. The only meaningful interactions he had with her that stuck out in his mind were when they first met. Kotomi insulted him, and he took a moment to beat himself up over his own self-pity. He didn’t actively seek her out after that. He didn’t spend time with her. What if he had? Could he have stopped her? Could he have prevented someone from becoming the blackened? He was despicable. Kotomi was dead, and the only times he had thought about her was when she insulted him, and then when she died.

Makoto wanted to go to sleep now. But no, his body had to keep him up so he could vilify himself for no one to see. He let everyone down. He let Kotomi down, he let Leon down, Sayaka, Kyoko, Touko, Junko, Celeste, Chihiro, Kiyotaka, Byakuya, he was a horrible, awful, disgusting, despicable-!

His doorknob rung. He didn’t even remember the dorm rooms having doorknobs, but sure! Why not! Makoto stood up, and walked over to the door, pulling it open. He was greeted by Tsubasa.

“Hello, Makoto. Nice day we’re having, right?” Tsubasa asked, the forced smile on her face alerting Makoto that she was trying desperately to keep up morale.

“Sure, I guess,” Makoto mumbled. “What did you want, Tsubasa?”

“Well, I was asking people if they wanted to hang out! The situation we’re in shouldn’t stop us from having a good time, right? Or, at least we can keep each other company. I wouldn’t want us all to spend our time sobbing to ourselves!” Tsubasa half-heartedly laughed. “Maybe, I could, uh, play something for the class! I’ve been kicking around a tune in my head for a bit, so I-”

“That sounds wonderful, Tsubasa. Where are we meeting?” Makoto asked, his face strained.

“The Dining Hall! Thank you, Makoto.” She grinned, running to the next dorm room. She then left, knocking on Leon’s door next to him.

\---

Tsubasa played the violin like she was dancing. She moved effortlessly around the cold dining hall floor, moving the bow up and down the set of strings on her instrument as if she was plucking at Makoto’s heartstrings with every note. Makoto couldn’t take his eyes off her as her platinum blonde hair was caught by the artificial lighting. Her eyes were closed, but judging her expression, she was at peace. Makoto didn’t even notice he was crying. Every other student watched in similar awe to him, even Iore and Celeste seemed moved. When Tsubasa finished her song, no one moved.

“Ah! My apologies, I suppose I got a little carried away with myself there!” She chuckled. “P-Please forgive me.”

“Don’t apologize for bein’ fuckin good at somethin!” Mondo spat, thoroughly trying to prove he wasn’t crying.

“Ah, what Mondo is trying to convey-” Kiyotaka cut in. “Is that you shouldn’t apologize for doing a stellar job at moving us with that piece!!” He clapped, as Tsubasa’s cheeks blushed.

“It’s really no big deal, just a little something!” She protested. “Thank you, though.”

“Just a little something?” Celeste rolled her eyes. “As if you didn’t play the opening to  _ Carmen Fantasie,  _ one of the most difficult orchestral pieces I’ve heard.”

“A-Ah. Of course, someone with tastes as refined as yours would recognize it…” Tsubasa mumbled.

“C-Carmen? Like the play? Ugh, I need to re-read that...Wonder if the library has a copy.” Touko grumbled. 

“I can walk you down to go check if you would like some accompaniment,” Kiriko responded.

“S-Sure, whatever,” Touko grumbled. Makoto just gawked at how easily Tsubasa’s concert had gotten people talking again. This was probably just what they needed, in all seriousness. Mondo and Kiyotaka were doing their usual routine, Touko actively accepted help from another, Celeste had started a conversation without being the ominous gambler that she is! Maybe they could regain what little sense of normalcy they had lost following the Trial. After all, there was still time before Nighttime hit.

\---

Makoto Naegi had no clue how he got into this scenario. How he had his hands tangled in Leon’s obnoxiously orange hair, and how Leon’s arms had gotten wrapped around his waist. He had no idea how their lips had met, but god he wasn’t apologizing that they had gotten there.

Just a minute ago Makoto had simply knocked on the punk’s door to check on him. Just a minute ago Leon had welcomed him in. Just a minute ago, they had been chatting happily.

“Mmm,” Leon tapped Makoto’s shoulder, signalling him to pull away for a second. Makoto obidged, face as hot as it’d ever been, eyes looking anywhere but Leon. “Hey, Makoto,” Leon chuckled, redirecting his attention back to him.

“I’m so sorry, Leon! It was an accident, I swear, I just, ughh! I’m an awful person, please forgive me-” Makoto spiraled, trying to hold back tears.

“Woah, woah! Calm down man! Not my fault you decided it was time you made the first move. Did I not kiss you back you idiot?” Leon laughed, his face light pink.

“B-But!” Makoto worried. “You’re just saying that!” Makoto groaned, jumping face first into Leon’s bed.

“Dude, calm your shit!” Leon laughed. “It was no big deal. I swear. We could even continue where we left off if you want-” Leon couldn’t finish his thought, as Makoto was already grabbing at his sleeve to steady himself as he closed the distance between them. Leon laughed against him, before returning the kiss.

“You sure we should be making out during a killing game?” Makoto asked, embarrassed. “I mean like, it seems disrespectful or something.”

“Everyone copes in different ways.” Leon joked, judging by the shit eating grin on his face. Makoto lightly slapped his shoulder.

“I’m serious though. What if we like...date or something! What if one of us…” Leon wrapped an arm around Makoto before he could finish.

“What’s the big deal with two bros just having secret rendezvous to kiss and stuff.” He mumbled into Makoto’s hair. “And don’t even finish that thought. Dying isn’t an option for anyone here, got it? I’ll make sure we make it out of here alive.”

It was comforting to not be the one to say it. “Thanks, Leon.”

He blamed his homosexuality and need for emotional release on the fact that his face was currently buried in Leon’s neck. But maybe it was just the adrenaline of escaping death by mass execution. Either way he wasn’t complaining.

\---

Unlike Makoto Naegi, Kyoko Kirigiri was not spending her time macking on a cute counterculture person. Instead, she was staring at a pair of E-Handbooks in her hands. Both of which belonged to a person who was no longer alive. She thumbed through Kotomi Ikuta’s Handbook as she walked through the Dorm hallways. She didn’t know what she expected to find. The thing was the same as all the others. A messaging app solely existing for Monokuma to text you through, the rules app, and a map of the school. 

Though that wasn’t her only intention. Kyoko held up Kotomi Ikuta’s handbook, just as she passed by her dorm room. She waved the handbook past the card reader, grinning as she heard the soft click of the lock. She smiled, pushing the door open and closing it behind her.

Sure enough, guns of all sorts lined the walls. Rifles and pistols were held up on hooks and suspended from wires. Kyoko perused around the room, to no avail. She didn’t expect Kotomi to be hiding any secrets, but a part of her was relieved just to know that she wasn’t up to anything.

Next up was Byakuya’s. She waved the handbook in front of the card reader, stepped inside his room, and found nothing but framed pictures of the Togami Family and, possibly the most upsetting, a single 1000 yen bill, with the prime minister’s face replaced with Byakuya’s own.

Her investigation of Byakuya’s room was definitely more interesting than her investigation of Kotomi’s. The only thing she found during her search was a simple paper flyer.

In two-toned coors, much like Monokuma’s visage, it displayed a challenge.

“Mr. Monokuma’s Ultimate Treasure Hunt?” She read aloud to herself. 

“Hello, dear student! Aren’t you the lucky one! You’ve been selected to obtain my special prize! Since you love money sooooooo much, I’ll give you a great big reward if you can discover who's behind all of this!! You see, one of these students is out to get you, and they won’t stop until you are dead. Isn’t that special? That person is the MASTERMIND! If you can figure out who it is and unmask me, then the killing game ends, and you can all go free!”

So Byakuya hadn’t even come up with the idea of a Mastermind. Had other people received things like this? Judging by the flyer’s wording, Byakuya was the only one. Combined with his motive video, this also explained why he would want to spend the night in the Dining Hall. He’d be the most protected there. “Look how well that turned out for him…” Kyoko sighed, pocketing the flyer and leaving his room.

Night Time would come soon. She should get to her room-

“Why do you have those?” A voice said. Kyoko turned on her heel to meet eyes with Junko Enoshima.

“Have what.” She deadpanned, tilting her head to the side.

“Don’t play innocent with me, Kirigiri!” She stomped, walking forward and grabbing her wrist, revealing the two handbooks in her grip. “These! Why do you have these!”

Kyoko tried to wrestle her arm free, but Junko’s hand tightened, her strength surprising. Her nails dug into Kyoko’s sleeve, surely leaving a mark.

“I didn’t steal them or anything, if that’s what you’re implying.” She stated. “In the main hall. They were just sitting on top of the Symbol of Strength.”

“Bullshit.”

“Ask Monokuma. He knows.” Junko, steaming, released her hand.

“Whatever. Just don’t do anything more with them. It’s not respectful to the dead.” Junko responded, fuming as she stomped away.

Kyoko scoffed. “I’m trying to keep us  _ alive,  _ Junko. Investigating those rooms is merely apart of that goal.”

“Ugh! What kind of backwards logic is that?! What, ya gonna steal all our handbooks and ‘investigate’ our shit too? Well, go right ahead!” Junko screamed, taking her handbook and shoving it into Kyoko’s hands.

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ _

_ “Ahem! Ahem! It is now 10 PM, and officially NIGHTTIME! In accordance with the rules, the dining hall and gymnasium are now OFF LIMITS! Any student still inside the gymnasium or dining hall, you will have one more minute to ske-daddle outta those rooms! Have a nice night! Don’t let the bed-bugs bite!!!” _

Junko stared at her, chest heaving with rage.

“Junko, I-” Kyoko tried, before Junko waved her off.

“It’s fine. It’s whatever.” She said, her heels clicking as she stormed off towards her room. Kyoko huffed. She fucked up big time. 

She proceeded towards her dorm room, sliding it open. She sighed when she looked at the walls and the desks, and saw nothing to hint towards her talent. She stared at the empty lilac walls with contempt, trying to will something to appear. Trying to will something to jog her memory, to force her to remember. But all she had was a languid mess of fog. A mystery she couldn’t get through. That, and a bit of a headache. She groaned, getting ready to go to sleep.

She entered her bedroom, quickly brushing her teeth and removing her coat. Her fingers hesitated over her gloves, trembling as she considered taking them off, toying with the leather material. She did this every single night, and every time she wouldn’t remove her gloves.

Changing into her sleepwear, Kyoko undid the tight heavy braid she wore her hair in, shaking her white locks over her shoulders. She took the two handbooks she had claimed, hiding them away in her dresser. She still had Junko’s in her hand. Junko couldn’t even get into her room without it. Nor could she lock her door. Kyoko opened her dorm room door, and turned.

\---

“Here.” Kyoko said, pushing the handbook into her hands.

“What, tryna throw me a pity party?” Junko sighed. “Keep it. I don’t want it anymore, okay?”

“What, so you don’t want to sleep? Sleeping outside of your dorm room is automatic execution. At least let me unlock your door.” Kyoko offered. Junko refused to meet her eyes. What was this chick’s deal? Who cares what she thought, she wasn’t going to take any damn charity from this thief. No way, no how-

“Are you tearing up?”

“No, shut up.” Kyoko spat.

“No, no, you’re crying.” Junko responded.

“No I’m not, shut your damned mouth, just let me-” Kyoko pushed her out of the way, unlocking the door to her dorm room. She all but pushed Junko into her dorm room, staring straight down to make sure Junko couldn’t meet her eyes. “Goodnight.” She returned Junko’s handbook, and slammed the door.

Junko laughed. If that was her way of showing that she cared, she could live with that. Kyoko wasn’t  _ that  _ heartless.

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATER!!!!**

**Hey kids! Wow, what an eventful day, isn’t that right? Killing, Kissing, AND emotional development?! Wow, what else could a bear ask for, am I right? Anywho, you ever wonder how a human brain works? Because I sure don’t! I’m a bear not some dumb flesh baby, I don’t need to know what goes on up there! My working theory is that there’s this biggggggggggggg radio transmitter plugged into everyone’s brain, and the human race is actually a bunch of cyborgs! Why else would you increase signal range when you put car keys to your head?? Puhuhuhu!!!**

\---

Makoto Naegi woke up, and got ready for another day inside Hope’s Peak. Thank god Leon was nowhere in sight when he woke up, that would’ve been too awkward to explain.

But Makoto wasn’t gonna think about that right now. He just wanted a nice, calming day, where he could just sit around and maybe take a nap. If Leon wanted to hold him while he did so, Makoto wouldn’t complain! But right now, Makoto was just outside his dorm room, ready to-

“MAKOTO!” He heard Kiriko shout. “Finally, you’re awake. Come, look at this.” Makoto, internally screaming at himself to go back to sleep, followed Kiriko towards....a staircase?

“When did that get there…?” Makoto wondered, looking back on all the time he’s spent in the Killing Game. He had absolutely no recollection of a staircase there.

“Exactly. It’s new.” Kiriko stated, her face screwed into a grimace. “Most likely a gift from Monokuma.”

“CORRECTAMUNDO, MISS NISHIZAWA!!”

“GAHH!” Kiriko groaned. “Warn a girl!”

“Puhuhu, sorry! But Mr. Monokuma doesn’t do warnings!” Monokuma cackled. “But yes, the second floor of Hope’s Peak Academy is now OPEN!! Feel free to explore it to your hearts content!”

\---

Makoto entered the peppermint striped door to be met with squeals of happiness.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! MAKOTO!!!!” Asahina grinned. “POOL! POOL, POOL POOL POOL!!!! THEY HAVE A POOL!”

“We heard, Hina-” Sakura tried to say before Aoi cut her off

“POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!” Hina exclaimed, darting off into the girl’s locker room.

“Always exciteable…” Sakura huffed in admiration. 

“Ah. A pool.” Kyoko’s voice added as she walked in.

“Yup. That sure is what that is.” Leon said, slinging an arm around Makoto’s shoulder. “Aside from Hina, do any of us even swim?”

“I wouldn’t mind swimming.” Kyoko added.

“Maybe later.” Sakura affirmed. “Investigating the remaining rooms on the second floor should be our main goal.”

“Ugh, you sound like school.” Leon groaned, the door opening.

“Oh! It’s so wonderful to see all of you!” Surprisingly, the voice came from Toko. The author walked into the room with a zest for life, her hair out of their usual braids and instead tied over her left shoulder. “Oh! Kyoko!”

“Hmm? Toko?” Kyoko responded as Toko grinned, striding up to her.

“Toko would like to thank you for saving her life in the trial. Toko also thinks you’re gorgeous. She doesn’t want to admit either of these, but I thought you should know. This is the closest Toko’s come to an chance to bond with other girls and I hope she can come out of her shell more here!” Toko grinned, taking Kyoko’s hand and shaking it. Kyoko’s face contorted in confusion, as if she was immediately beginning to do mental gymnastics to make sense of this situation.

“You, you feel okay, Toko?” Leon asked, as Toko spinned around to face him.

“Oh! Leon! Toko would like to thank you for your discussion with her a few nights ago. She really appreciated the company, and talking about your feelings really helped lighten her spirits! She also would like to say she thinks your piercings are very cool.”

“I-Uh, Okay?!”

“Toko, what’s going on?” Makoto asked, though Toko just smiled at him.

“Toko thinks your semi respectable, Makoto! That’s a large compliment.” She chuckled.

Hina then emerged from the locker room. “Oh, hey Toko!” she exclaimed. “I like your hair!”

“Great to see you, Aoi! I trust you had a good morning, what with the pool.”

“I-I guess? How’d your morning go…?”

“Oh, it was j...just….ACHOO!” Toko sneezed violently, becoming entirely disoriented, her eyes screwed shut the entire time. When she started moving again, she was extremely red. “Oh dear shit.”

“That sounds more like Toko.” Makoto stated.

“I-I bet you all th-think I’m some sort of creep, don’t you,” Toko grumbled.

“We don’t even know the situation here, Toko. If you’d just explain…” Kyoko left room for her to explain, which Toko begrudgingly took up.

“I have DID.” Toko stated, then took a deep sigh.

“Oh! Dissassociative Identity Disorder, right ?” Asahina asked. “That’s totally understandable! Thanks for telling us, Toko!”

“H-Heh, well, uh, you met one of my alters, Hanako.” Toko grumbled. “She’s way too preppy for my likings.”

“I thought she was nice!” Leon responded. “And what, you think my piercings are cool…?”

“And you think I’m gorgeous?” Kyoko grinned.

“UGHHHHH SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UPPP!!!” Toko screamed. “She’s just way too nice. Makes me anxious.”

“Do you have any other alters, Toko? Sorry if that’s invasive of me to ask.” Sakura questioned.

“Y-Yeah, one other. She’s totally embarrassing though.” Toko sighed. “She’s a total edgelord, named Syo.”

“Well, thank you for telling us, Touko.” Makoto stated.

“Yeah! Now, if you’ll excuse me-” Hina grinned, getting a running start and launching herself into the pool at mach speeds.

\---

Makoto Naegi continued his exploration of the second floor, this time examining the hallways.

This floor seemed to be less densely packed as the ground floor, considering how widely placed the rooms were. Aside from the pool, there was a multitude of bathrooms and a single janitor’s closet. Nothing that’d provide a decent method of escape, that’s for sure.

He moved towards the Janitor’s Closet, intent on doing one last sweep for supplies, when Mondo opened it from inside.

“Oh, s’up Makoto.” Mondo grumbled. “Whadda want from the Janitor’s closet?” He asked.

“Oh, uh, I was just doing another sweep in there. Checking for anything we could use to bust out.” Makoto laughed. He was really just looking for an excuse to keep walking.

“That’s kinda dumb, Makoto. I might be an idiot, but even I know that you can’t use bleach or whatever to burn through 10 inch steel.” He responded.

“Ah!” Kiyotaka’s voice came from behind. “There you are, Mondo. I was looking for you.” He nodded. “I wished to discuss something with you…” he paused, eyeing Makoto. “P-Preferably without Makoto present.”

Mondo blushed. “Got it. See ya, Makoto.”

Makoto shrugged, and continued down the hallway, turning into the only other room of note.

\---

The Laundry Room was inhabited by two people, Junko Enoshima and Sayaka Maizono.

“Oh! Hey Makoto!” Sayaka smiled and waved, watching the washing machine spin.

“Hi! W-What are you doing there?” Makoto asked, kneeling next to her.

“Haha, nothing. I got bored. So I’m watching the washing machine spin.” She said, eyes transfixed.

“Oh, is that like, a hobby for you or-” Makoto started, but was cut off by Sayaka, who had begun singing.

“ _ Always knew! What I wanted to do! But things just don’t go smooth…”  _ Sayaka’s melodic voice mused, dancing in place. “ _ Inside out, then going upside down!”  _ She gestured with her hands, grabbing Makoto’s hand and bringing him to his feet. “ _ It’s easy to sing, but! It’s harder to live!”  _ She spun him towards Junko, who didn’t miss a beat steadying him as Sayaka continued.

“ _ I met you!”  _ She jabbed a finger in Junko and Makoto’s direction. “ _ And the story began! The only lonely two,”  _ She gestured vaguely, her skirt spinning as she danced towards them. “ _ Must have been some kinda magic in the wind! Hit me with the beat and singing: boom, boom, boom, boom, YEAH!”  _ She held a hand out to Junko, who, very put off by this, took it.

“ _ Round and round, the dancing laundry!”  _ Sayaka sang, leading Junko as she danced. “ _ Let’s lose our minds, forget the time, and everything will be just fine! _ ” Junko looked at Makoto for help, but received none as Sayaka continued.

“ _ Round and round like dancing laundry! _ ” Sayaka spun Junko and dipped her, somehow holding the girl up with one arm. “ _ It's you and me, that's all we need! _

_ You were the missing puzzle piece.”  _ She grinned, bursting into laughter.

“Y-You okay, Sayaka?!” Junko shouted after Sayaka brought her to her feet.

“Yeah!” She cackled. “I just realized I, kind of broke into a spontaneous musical number!”

“Yeah, we thought you knew that!” Makoto half-shouted.

“You learn enough music and choreography and it just, kinda becomes second nature, in a way!” She chuckled. “What, was it...bad?”

“NO! GREAT EVEN!” Junko responded, probably much louder than she meant it to be.

—-

Makoto ate his dinner quietly as conversation buzzed around him in the dining room. Chihiro was tapping away at her laptop, doing her best to ignore Touko’s furious scribbling next to her, while Kyoko paced near the kitchen, occasionally shooting a glance over to her classmates and jotting down on her notepad.

Celeste cleared her throat, and snapped her fingers. “Monokuma?” She asked, then waited.

“PUHUHUHU!” Monokuma giggles, suddenly appearing from behind a chair. “You called for me! Whaddya want, Ms. Ludenberg??”

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice that you don’t have any tea in your kitchen.” She said, a mix of disappointment and sadness on her face.

“Oh No!!!!! How terrible!!!” Monokuma whined.

“It’s tragic, I know! But as your humble student, I wanted to request that you get me some tea. Could you do that for me, Monokuma?”

Monokuma thought for a moment. “Well of course!!! I’ll be right back!” And in a whirl of movement he was off.

“How do you just order him around like that?” Aiko asked. “You look like a warlock but act like a total rogue!!”

Celeste chuckled. “I can’t help it if people want to bend to my whim naturally. It’s not my fault that I’m popular.”

“You’re not a mean girl in some movie.” Touko grumbled. “Just because you’re threatening doesn’t mean people like you.”

“Oh, I’m quite aware that people don’t like me.” Celeste grinned.

“Here you are, Miss Ludenberg!!!” Monokuma returned, handing her a teacup and plate.

“Ah, thank you Monokuma.” She responded.

“W-Wait! Are you really gonna drink that?! It could be poisoned!” Makoto protested, but Celeste had already taken a sip. She swallowed, then slowly, very slowly, turned to Monokuma.

“Monokuma?” She asked.

“Yes, Miss Ludenberg???” He responded.

“How exactly did you prepare this tea?” Celeste responded, voice sweet and clean.

“Well, all I did was follow the instructions on the packaging!!” He laughed. “You know, lik-”

Monokuma could not finish his sentence, as Celeste had hurled the teacup at the wall just next to Monokuma’s head, porcelain shards and scorching hot tea splashing everywhere.

“Miss Lud-”

** _“LISTEN HERE YOU COTTON STUFFED MOTHERFUCKER! YOU ARE GOING TO PICK UP YOUR MONOCHROME ASS, RUN YOURSELF BACK INTO THAT GOD-FORSAKEN KITCHEN, AND GET ME SOME GODDAMN TEA WITH MILK, BEFORE I CHOP YOU UP INTO LITTLE PIECES, ROAST YOU AND YOUR FAMILY OVER A SPIT, AND EAT YOUR BEAR MEAT FOR DINNER, YOU SACK OF SHIT! CLEAR OUT YOUR MURDER-OBSESSED EARS BEFORE I CHOP THEM UP AND FEED THEM TO MY GUARD DOGS! IS THAT FUCKING CLEAR?!” _ ** Celeste roared, her accent nowhere to be seen as she got up into Monokuma’s face.

Monokuma squealed in fear. “Y-Yes, Miss Ludenberg!!!” He whined, running towards the kitchen at top speed.

“W-What the hell was that?!” Makoto shouted. Celeste just cleared her throat, as if nothing had happened.

“Oh, I just politely asked Monokuma if he’d be willing to prepare another cup of tea, this time with milk.” She absentmindedly twirled hair around her clawed finger, chuckling as she did so. Her accent had returned as if it had never gone.

“R-Right.” Makoto responded, sitting back down, eyeing Celeste suspiciously.

\---

Makoto leaned back into his bed, face smothered into his pillow. At least today had been more chill. Had it really only been this morning when they’d found Byakuya’s body? It seemed like years ago.

Makoto allowed himself to drift to sleep, trying to force himself not to sleep.

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATER!!!!**

**The FitnessGram™ Pacer Test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets more difficult as it continues. The 20 meter pacer test will begin in 30 seconds. Line up at the start. The running speed starts slowly, but gets faster each minute after you hear this signal. [beep] A single lap should be completed each time you hear this sound. [ding] Remember to run in a straight line, and run as long as possible. The second time you fail to complete a lap before the sound, your test is over. The test will begin on the word start. On your mark, get ready, start.**

\---

Kyoko Kirigiri dreamed of fire that night. Bright, blazing, burning fire. She was young. A girl maybe aged 13. She was standing in a burning room, banging on a door. She knew that if she touched the doorknob, she would burn herself, but all she could think about was the other end of that door. Kyoko couldn’t remember what was happening on the other side of that door, but she desperately wanted to get in. She had to get in.

Almost in instinct, her hand flew to the doorknob, and she heard the audible searing that erupted from her hand, along with the smell of burning flesh as she wrenched the door open. She was greeted with a veritable inferno, and the figure of a girl her age standing among the blaze. She was around her age, maybe a year older, with short brown hair. She wore a cute outfit, with a jacket and shorts. There was a body on the ground next to her. Hands still burning, Kyoko ran to her, screaming out a name that Kyoko didn’t remember. She grabbed onto her shoulder, whirling her around before her hands went to her mouth (only hurting her more). She fell back towards her, her face a horrifically marred mass of burnt tissue. She didn’t look human.

The fire raged around Kyoko, invading her mind and burning her thoughts, burning her memories to ashes, burning everything she knew-

\---

Kyoko awoke with a jolt. She took a shaky breath, then brought her knees to her chest, willing herself not to cry.

Her hands stung. She stared at the gloves she hasn’t taken off in years. With a grumble, Kyoko gets off her from her bed and opens her bathroom door. She stares at herself in the mirror, disgusting lacing her voice.

“I’m sorry.” She said. “I’m so sorry, Yui.” She said, even though she has never known anyone by the name of Yui. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.” She cried, gloved hand covering her mouth. She didn’t know why she was sad. She had no recollection of a Yui, ever. She had no recollection of a burning house, she has no recollection of any friends.

As far as she is aware, Yui Samidare never existed, and most definitely did not die in a fire.

\---

Makoto Naegi dragged himself into the dining hall, plopping down in his seat. Sayaka was having a pleasant conversation with Junko, and he could spy Kiyotaka enjoying a cup of coffee, having a nervous conversation with Iore. Aiko was consulting her DnD tome, loudly designing a character based on Touko, who watched with a mix of distaste and embarrassment.

“Sup, nerds.” Leon said, taking a seat next to Makoto. “How are we holdin up?”

“About as well as we can.” Tsubasa, who just exited the kitchen, sighed, sitting down and digging into a muffin.

“Well, I’m doing great!” Aiko proclaimed. “I just made Touko a DnD character!”

“N-Not like I asked her to! S-Shut up!” Touko protested, blushing furiously.

“I admit, choosing her class was a bit awkward, but I decided on Warlock in the end! Makes total sense, right??” Aiko grinned, clearly proud of herself.

“That’s great!” Kiyotaka exclaimed. “I’m glad we’re getting back into the swing of things.”

“Whatever man,” Junko stated. “I just wanna take a nap. This is exhausting.” She bemoaned.

“Mood.” Leon groaned. “There’s so little to do here.”

“Well…” Aoi started.

“Hina, no-”

“HEAR ME OUT!”

“The pool isn’t big enough for 18 kids.” Sakura protested.

“BUT IT’D BE SO FUN!” She shouted.

“I’d be up for a swim.” Leon responded.

“Same here!” Makoto agreed, half of his brain deciding to focus on the prospect of a shirtless Leon, the other half just wanting to hang out with his classmates.

“HA! TWO VOTES, SAKURA!” Hina grinned, shoving two fingers in Sakura’s face.

Sakura groaned, though a fond smile appeared on her face. “Fine, I’ll come too.”

Overall, all the students agreed to at least be in the pool room, even if they don’t swim themselves.

\---

“Aww, why not?” Hina asked when Chihiro stated she wouldn’t be getting in the water.

“I’m, I just, don’t want to swim. It’s a personal thing.” She stated, averting her eyes from Hina.

“Same here. Plus, why would I ever sacrifice my aesthetic just to get wet? My make-up would run, and my dress would be ruined.” Celeste added.

“There’s a bunch of swimsuits over in the locker-rooms?” Hina inquired.

Celeste looked the girl up and down. “As if I’d be caught dead in one of those things.” She scoffed, despite the fact she had re-arranged her normal outfit to resemble a gothic lace sundress, complete with swapping her headband out for a massive sunhat and sunglasses indoors.

In fact, Makoto couldn’t spot two identical swimsuits among the 18 student class.

“Wondering how we all got our hands on different swimsuits?” Sayaka asked, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

“Y-Yeah, actually,” Makoto responded.

“Easy! I’m psychic, remember?” She responded, tilting her head and grinning.

“...I still can’t tell if you’re joking about that or not.” Makoto responded.

Sayaka laughed. “Of course I am! I can just read people really easily.” She responded, before being sprayed with pool water.

Makoto followed the assaults trajectory, to find his eyes on a cackling Junko--her hair up in a bun to avoid it getting too wet--holding a water gun cockily. “Sorry, Sayaka! Your fault for letting your guard down~”

Sayaka laughed deeply, approaching Junko slowly, raising her arms to imitate an animal ready to pounce. Sayaka all but leaped into the pool after Junko, very determined to at least get her hair wet. Junko was too fast, however, dodging out of the way and doing her best to sprint in water. Sayaka chased after her. Makoto wondered how Junko was so ripped before remembering that she’s a model and is probably on the toughest workout routine here.

It really was a cool sight. All these extremely capable people in one room, in one pool, even. Makoto feared to get in the pool, considering Aoi seemed to also be training simultaneously, doing fierce laps as Sakura cheered like a coach. Sayaka and Junko were still in heated water-combat, Kiyotaka had taken up the lifeguard seat, loudly shouting at Mondo and Aiko to stop running near the pool. Meanwhile, Touko was reading some gigantic tome, lounging on a beach chair. Celeste was sipping tea and seemingly having a polite argument with Kyoko. Meanwhile, Chihiro had set up an umbrella to hide against the harsh lights of the pool and was content to click away at her computer.

Iore was writing something down, probably transcribing rumors or something, meanwhile, Tsubasa, ever responsible, was organizing swimming equipment and making sure everyone had a designated towel to return to when they eventually got out. Kiriko was investigating everyone’s swimsuits, drawing out clear models of them and filing them into a plastic film so they wouldn’t get wet. She was already halfway through the class.

“YO!” Leon shouted, making Makoto jump and whirl around. Makoto couldn’t help but notice that his wet hair framed his face almost perfectly, pushed back by his goggles that now rested on his head.

“Ah, hey Leon! What’s going on?” Makoto responded, desperately trying not to seem like a weirdo and keep looking at Leon’s toned baseball arms.

“Well, I got caught in the crossfire of Sayaka and Junko over there, so I had to bounce for a little bit. Tsubasa really got on my case when I tried to take the towel that she had ‘clearly’ labeled as Yasuhiro’s.” He laughed. “You?” He said, his eyes scanning Makoto from head to toe.

“Ah, well, I’m doing fine.” Makoto stated. “I’m not a big swimmer, so I’m just hanging out.”

“That’s valid. Not for everyone. Hell, I’m not that keen on it myself.” He winked, eyes looking at Makoto’s chest. “Nice scars.”

Makoto followed his gaze, eyes landing on his top surgery scars. “Oh, these? They’re from my top surgery.”

“Oh, you’re trans?” Leon responded.

“Y-Yeah. If, that’s, uh, a problem, for you-”

“No! Christ, Makoto, I’d never not wanna, you know, just because you’re trans.” Leon responded, making Makoto’s heart melt.

“Speaking, of, you know,” Makoto continued. “If you would want to-”

“Y-Yes! Uh, Yes, I mean.” Leon said, trying to sound less excited than he really was. “L-Later tonight?”

“Yeah.” Makoto responded, a dumb smile forming over his face.

\---

Chihiro Fujisaki returned to her dorm room after the pool had cleared out. She had plans, and it was time to put them into action. She brought her laptop with her, and placed it down on her bedside table. She then rolled her arms and got to work.

Slowly, she removed the bed and sheets from the mattress, flipping the mattress onto the floor. Afterward, she slowly pushed the bedframe away, letting it meet the opposite wall. Good, she needed a lot of space. Once that was finished with, she then opened her drawer and retrieved the tool kit she had borrowed from Mondo. She fished the screwdriver out, returning to the bedframe and removing the posts. She then stood them up around the mattress itself, throwing the sheets above to form a canopy covering her on all sides. She grinned to herself, pulling her blanket in with her. She then retrieved her pillows and laptop and pulled them under her makeshift cotton bunker as well. There. Now she didn’t have to keep chugging 5-hour energies to code in the sauna changing room at night. There were cameras in the dorms, sure, but with her clever engineering work, she could avoid them and continue her work.

Immediately afterward, she realized she easily could’ve just done this with the intact bedframe, but it’s too late for that now anyway.

She opened her laptop, placing it in front of her and beginning to type out code. She had been working on a special project for a very long time, and the sooner she got it up and running, the more work she could do.

\---

Makoto Naegi blushed furiously, head buried in Leon’s chest.

“Dude, we’re six-fucking-teen, you don't hafta ask to compliment my muscles man.” Leon laughed.

“YEAH BUT I FEEL LIKE A DUMB ROM-COM PROTAGONIST!” Makoto groaned. “Like I’m the hardcore business woman visiting her home-town, and you’re the delinquent with a heart of gold I have to fix!” He sighed, as Leon burst into laughter.

“Well, if it’s any consolation,” Leon began, running his fingers through Makoto’s head of brown hair. “You look cute when you’re blushing.”

This did not help Makoto’s situation, as he was sure his face was as red as a tomato by now. “COME ON, LEON!” He groaned, as Leon laughed.

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATHER!!!**

**Oh hey. Didn’t see you there. It’s your best pal, Mmmmmmmmonokuma! BACK AT IT AGAIN! Recording live from…….paradise. I’m here with my good good friends, Stick, Tree, and Dirt. You know, I heard through the grapevine, that Leeeeepon, and Mackot like to stand next to eachother. What hot, juicy gossip! You’ll only get the best from your best friend Monokuma!!! PUHUHUHUHUHU!!! Anyway, a quick update: for th’friends. Th’family. Th’followers.**

**So uh…**

**Still a bear…...I’m workig on it…**

\---

Makoto awoke and desperately tried to ignore the fact that Leon had tucked his head under his chin while he was asleep. Makoto blinked, then turned around to face a still sleeping Leon, his hair loose around his face. Makoto, who just wanted to get up and start his damn day, flicked his face to shock him awake.

“Mmhn, Makoto what the fuck-” Leon grumbled.

“Come on, I wanna get food.” Makoto responded. “Plus I don’t wanna look suspicious walking out of your room.”

“There’s only one door, dude.”

“Regardless.”

It took him a minute to put his normal hoodies on as Leon began the arduous process of fixing his hair up. Makoto was out the door just as Leon was half way through gelling his hair. God Makoto loved that he didn’t care about his appearance in the slightest.

\---

Makoto Naegi took his seat at the dining hall table, and was terrified when he was greeted by every student but him, all crowded around  _ something  _ on the table.

“Ah, Makoto. So nice of you to join us!” Iore smiled. “How was Leon’s bed?”

“What?!” Makoto responded in fear.

“Hmm? What did I say?” Iore responded, batting her eyelids innocently.

“Shut up, Iore.” Celeste snapped.

“MAKOTO! Where the hell is Leon?” Yasuhiro grumbled.

Makoto blushed. “I bet he’s still asleep, or something,” He scratched the back of his neck, trying to force his head not to catch on fire.

“Are you sweating, Makoto?” Hina asked.

“Yeah, your face looks really red, bro,” Hiro added.

“I’m f-fine! Totally cool!” Makoto responded, just as Leon kicked open the door.

“Woah, is this an intervention or somethin’?” He responded.

“Wonderful, now we’re all here,” Tsubasa said. “Can we please get back on topic?”

“Yeah,” Makoto started. “What exactly is the topic?”

Kyoko separated from the group, holding a large present (suspiciously colored like Monokuma) in her hands. “This appeared on the dining hall table this morning.” Kyoko held up the tag and read aloud. “Dear Students, this is a gift for the whole class! Please, only open it when everyone is here. Remember, ignoring the card is totally rude and will result in strict punishment! Puhuhuhuhu, Monokuma.” Makoto held back a giggle at Kyoko’s Monokuma impression.

“What do you think it is?” Chihiro asked.

“Probably another motive, or some other sick trick to get us to kill each other.” Mondo spat. “I say we just ignore it.”

“Wouldn’t Monokuma get mad if we don’t open it? It says ignoring the card is a violation of school rules!” Yasuhiro furiously asked.

“YEAH, b-but there’s nothing on there that s-says we can’t just not open it!!” Toko shouted.

“Precisely. It’d be wise if we just destroyed it.” Sakura added.

“WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH!!!” Monokuma’s voice exploded into the room as he suddenly showed up in a chair. “This is NOT what you’re supposed to do!!”

“Maybe you just refused to admit that we can outsmart you.” Celeste grinned. “We don’t care about your little motive.”

“B-But!!” Monokuma frowned. “I thought teens loved presents!”

“We do,” Junko stated. “But not from murderous build-a-bear rejects!”

“Puhuhuhu...Miss Enoshima...you’re so mean….” Monokuma whined.

“So,” Kiriko smirked, picking up the box and raising it above her head, preparing to destroy it against her leg. “We can just put this all behind us-”

“WAITWAITWAITWAIT!!!” Monokuma cried. “PLEAAAAAASE DON’T BREAK IT!!! I’M ALREADY HEMORRHAGING MONEY AND PRINTER INK COSTS SO MUCH YOU KIDS DON’T EVEN KNOW!!!” Monokuma whined, grabbing onto the present and dragging Kiriko’s arms down.

“Fine, Jesus shit!” Kiriko groaned, shaking Monokuma off. 

“We’ll just leave it here, then.” Makoto sighed. “We’ll just have to trust each other not to open it, got it?”

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

“Good.” Kyoko stated. “If anyone opens that present, you’ll be hearing from me.”

\---

“So that lasted 10 fucking minutes.” Kyoko spat, eyeing the room around her with contempt.

Makoto looked at the package with disappointment in his eyes. They couldn’t even see the contents, since whoever opened it had made off with whatever the motive was.

“This is ridiculous.” Celeste stated. “Someone has to have the motive. We can just track them down, maybe search everyone’s rooms, and find the culprit that way.

“Good thinking.” Kyoko affirmed, leading the two of them out of the dining hall.

\---

It was a very uneventful search.

They had tracked down most of the students, some of which complied to Kyoko’s demands, others of which did not.

“WHAT, d-do you think I did it or something?! I can’t believe you!” Toko had shouted.

“Hell no, whenever a cop wants to search your room, just make ‘em read your rights!” Mondo spat, holding up a middle finger and slamming the door.

“No, I am not going to let you into my room.” Iore smiled, before violently slamming the door.

Makoto sighed against the wall. “Wanna start searching more than just dorm rooms?” He asked, his tired gaze matching Celeste.

“No, I’d rather just take a nap.”

“We  _ have  _ to find those motives.” Kyoko responded. “We have to find them and get rid of them. It’s the only way to prevent another murder.”

“Then, I guess we should get back at it then.” Makoto said, groaning as he forced himself to his feet, and helping Celeste up.

“Where do you want to check next, Kyoko?” Celeste asked, fixing a stray strand of hair.

“The next floor. Maybe the pool? The only people up there usually are Hina and Sakura, so maybe one of the boys is hiding them in the locker room there?” Kyoko asked no one in particular, trying to justify her intuition. Makoto simply shrugged in exhaustion and followed behind Kyoko and Celeste.

\---

The pool door swung open without issue at their touch, as Kyoko made a beeline for the boy's locker room. “Makoto. Open it.”

Makoto stepped out of line, swiping his handbook across the door as it unlocked. He opened it and began to search. “Kyoko, I don’t see anything in here.” He said, peeking around exercise equipment and checking inside lockers.

“Keep looking.” She responded, as Makoto groaned and lifted up a box of swimsuits.

Suddenly, Celeste screamed, breaking the near silence of the pool.

“Celeste?!” Makoto screamed in response, dashing past the door to her side, Kyoko already standing at attention next to her.

“What’s wrong?” Kyoko asked, clearly worried.

One of Celeste’s hands had covered her mouth in fear, as her other slowly raised to point at the pool.

Makoto followed where she pointed, eyes blowing wide in fear as he saw what she saw.

There, his body floating lifeless in the water, was the waterlogged corpse of Yasuhiro Hagakure, Ultimate Clairvoyant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 17/20


	5. 1,000 Feet Under-DEADLY LIFE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW it's been awhile! School started kicking my ass and with it, all motivation to write and create left my body. I started learning how to code visual novels, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna leave this fic in the dust. I am still very much going to finish it, mark my fuckin words!

_ “Puhuhu! A body has been discovered!” _

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t suppose to happen again. No one was supposed to die.

_ “As someone has been found dead, the investigation period will now begin! All remaining students will be allowed 3 hours to gather evidence before the Class Trial will begin! Good luck and always remember to have fun, my darling students!” _

“...Ah.” Kyoko stumbled. “Ah.” Was all she could muster. Footsteps scrambled up the stairs, desperate to get to the source of the PA Announcement, desperate to find the body.

Sakura was the first to arrive, busting into the room with Aoi and Iore at her side. “WHAT HAPPENED?!” She screamed, eyes watery.

Makoto weakly pointed to the pool. “Yasuhiro’s dead.” He mumbled.

“Ah.” Sakura responded.

\---

“Ah!!! I see you’re all here!!” Monokuma chuckled once all the students had gathered in the Pool. “Well, allow me to present to you…” Monokuma mimed preparing a drum roll. “THE MONOKUMA FILE!!!” He whipped out a black and white tablet identical to the one used in the last trial. “Now, who wants to read this bad boy??? Hmm????”

Sayaka raised her hand again tentatively. “I wanna hear from someone _ other _than Miss Maizono. You JUST read, give someone else a turn!!!” Her hand sunk down, and no one responded. “COME ON ALREADY! If someone doesn’t volunteer, I’ll just pick someoneeeeeee~!!”

Touko hurriedly grabbed it, holding it close to her chest.

“HURRAY! Go on, Miss Fukawa, we’re all waiting!” Monokuma giggled with excitement.

Touko cleared her throat. 

“Victim: Yasuhiro Hagakure.”

“Height: 6’1”.”

“Weight: 157lbs” 

“Time of Death: 8:20 AM”

“Body Discovered by Celestia Ludenberg”

“Body Discovery Location: Pool,”

“Oh wow!!! How exciting!!! I can hardly wait!!!!” Monokuma yelped, walking towards the door. “Have a nice trauma, everybody! See you at the trial!!!”

\---

Kyoko paced the front of the pool, gloved hands steepled in front of her face in silent contemplation. “Alright.” She spoke, facing the rest of the class. “Who opened that present Monokuma left for us.” Her tone made it very clear that this was a command, not a question.

No one raised their hands.

“Who. Opened. The. Gift.” Kyoko spat.

No one moved a muscle. After a pregnant pause had passed over the crowd of students, Kyoko sighed deeply, running her hands over her face. “Alright. Alright. Let’s start investigating. I want everyone here to split up. I want everyone to co-operate in searching dorm rooms. Failure to provide a handbook puts you on the suspect list. I will search the pool with Aoi, Sakura, Makoto and Celeste. I want Iore, Tsubasa, and Junko searching the warehouse. Did I make myself clear?!” Kyoko finished, as everyone hurriedly nodded.

They all sprinted to their impromptu assignments Kyoko had given them, leaving just the group designated to search the pool.

“What first, Kyoko?” Aoi asked, stepping to her side.

“We need to get Yasuhiro’s body outside of the water, somehow,” Kyoko responded.

“I know for a fact I could lift him.” Sakura responded. “I’d need to be able to breathe underwater though.”

“I know there’s an oxygen mask in the girl’s locker room!” Aoi responded.

“Why would there be an oxygen mask in the locker room…” Makoto trailed off.

“Life’s full of surprises. Sometimes a girl just needs a pick-me-up.” Celeste joked, pantomiming inhaling the oxygen mask. “Much faster than coffee.”

“Regardless, go get the mask, Aoi.” Hina nodded, and within a few seconds she returned with it in hand.

Sakura retreated to the locker room and changed, strapping on the mask in the process. With little effort, Sakura dived into the water, swam underneath Yasuhiro’s body, and began to lift him upwards with little to no trouble, though she seemed to have some issues with actually getting him out of the water.

Sakura emerged from the water, flopping Yasuhirp’s corpse on the poolside. She took off the mask to speak. “Something was holding him down there.”

“What?” Makoto asked, incredulous. “You are not going tell me there’s some evil pool monster who killed him.”

Kyoko’s eye-roll was almost audible. “No, look.” She took one knee and took hold of Yasuhiro’s wrist. A thick, tan rope was tightly knotted around it, and sank into the water. Kyoko fished out the end of it, discovering a bumpy bag of some sort.

“Sandbags…” Hina gasped.

“So, the killer tied these to him in order to keep him submerged? Why couldn’t they just hold him down?” Makoto wondered aloud.

“No idea,” Kyoko grumbled. “It could be that they weren’t strong enough to, but Yasuhiro was also a total lightweight. Chihiro could be able to pin him, for god’s sake.”

“So why go through the trouble?” Celeste stated.

“It could be that they didn’t want to go through the trouble, but I’d assume Yasuhiro would wake up if they decided to tie weights to him.” Sakura finished.

“Regardless.” Kyoko responded. “We’re on the clock. We need to investigate now.” The rest of them nodded as they continued their investigation. Kyoko began by un-tying the weights from Yasuhiro, finding 5 seperate ropes keeping him held down. One on his neck, and one for each wrist and ankle.

“Find anything, Kyoko?” Makoto asked, squatting next to her, despite not absorbing any excess information that way.

“Nothing that points us at anything new.” She mumbled. “It’s all just rope-burn scars. Nothing points to any external injuries, and I can’t test him for poison or anything.”

“That’s...unfortunate,” Celeste said. “Maybe we can try to determine where the murder weapons came from?”

“Good idea.” Sakura stated. “Monokuma?” She asked.

“HELLO HELLO HELLO!!! I’m so glad you called for me!!” Monokuma appeared from the pool, wearing a speedo and a pair of snorkels. “What is it, Miss Oogami???”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Can I ask where this rope came from?”

Monokuma chuckled. “Puhuhuhuhu, Ms. Oogami, if I told you EVERYTHING then it’d ruin all the fun!! A class trial is about MYSTERY! EXCITEMENT! THRILLS, CHILLS, and most importantly: KILLS!” Monokuma cackled. “Asking your dear old Mr. Monokuma for hints would be against the spirit of the Class Trial itself!”

Celeste stepped forward. “Thank you, Monokuma. But are you sure that there’s even enough evidence to determine the killer?”

“Miss Ludenberg, are you accusing me of _ rigging _my own trials?! I am SHOCKED! I am APPALED! POS-I-TIV-ELY SCANDALIZED!!!” Monokuma yelled. “I thought we were friends, Miss Ludenberg...how could you…”

“Look! We could do a further investigation if you would just-” Makoto began, but was cut off by Monokuma.

“NO!!!! NO more hints! I’m too distraught! IN FACT, if any of you brats call for me again before the investigation period ends, I’ll punish you! SEVERELY! BOOHUHUHUHUHUHU!!!” Monokuma cried, dissappearing underwater.

“Way to go, Makoto.” Celeste grumbled.

“WH-Hey! if you didn’t provoke him too!”

“At least I didn’t yell at him…”

“I DID NO SUCH THING!”

“GUYS!” Hina interrupted. “Maybe we could just, continue the investigation elsewhere?” She asked.

“Hina’s right. I suggest we go down to the warehouse, and look for a lack of rope and sandbags. If we can find a discrepancy, maybe then we can at least determine where they came from.” Kyoko deduced.

“Good idea,” Makoto replied, and they were off.

\---

“Oh! Hello!” Iore responded when they entered. “It’s nice to see you, as always!” She grinned.

“Hello, Iore.” Kyoko stated. “You won’t mind if we explore the warehouse a little bit, do you?”

Iore locked eyes with Kyoko. “Not at all!” She smiled, searching through a large box.

“Oh, ‘sup.” Junko sad, making a rock and roll handsign and putting a large crate back on the shelf. Man, she was strong.

“Can I help you with anything?” Tsubasa responded.

“Jeez, Tsubasa, you know you aren’t a waitress, right?” Aoi joked.

“A-AH! I know that, I just, like helping people!” She laughed. “Regardless, what are you looking for…?”

“Well, miss conveince store clerk,” Celeste continued. “Do you know where the Warehouse stores rope?”

“Ah, HEY! JUNKO!” Tsubasa yelled.

“JESUS FUCK, WHAT?!” She responded.

“YOU NEAR THE R’S?!”

“YEAH?!”

“CAN YOU CHECK THE ROPE FOR ME?!”

“OKAY” Junko responded, distant shuffling overcoming the room. After a few minutes, Junko screamed back. “THERE’S NOT A LOT LEFT, LOOKS LIKE SOME WERE TAKEN.” Junko paused. “WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE TRIAL?”

Tsubasa turned to Makoto. “Yes, what _ does _this have to do with the trial?” She asked.

“WHAT??” Junko screamed back.

“I’M NOT TALKING TO YOU!”

“OH, OKAY”

“Yasuhiro wasn’t drowned by force, he instead was held underwater using sandbags connected to rope.” Kyoko responded.

“Oh goodness…” Tsubasa said. “What a terrible way to go…”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” Junko inquired.

“I AM STILL NOT TALKING TO YOU, JUNKO!”

“ALRIGHT!”

“Anyways, is that enough information? The warehouse is kept in a quite haphazard fashion, and I was hoping to re-organize it with Iore. Most of the items are in place, but it would take us awhile to locate sandbags…” Tsubasa mused.

“Not neccessary.” Sakura responded. “Thank you for your time.”

“My pleasure!”

“HUH?”

“OH MY GOD, I WASN’T TALKING TO YOU!”

“OH SORRY”

\---

From there, they split up.

Aoi Asahina and Sakura Oogami were to keep searching the pool, while the other three were to investigate the dorm rooms, and learn information there.

Makoto Naegi sighed after searching Mondo’s room, finding nothing.

Time was running out, and fast. They had wasted far too much time in the Pool, and with everything happening in the warehouse, they had gotten lost as they tried to escape it’s expansive indoors. Makoto estimated to himself that they had little under 30 minutes to gather evidence. The rest would have to happen during a class trial, under threat of execution.

God, what if this was the one? What if this was it? What if whatever student killed Yasuhiro would run free, and Makoto would be gunned down by an insane bear? Only one person can leave the killing game. Only one person can win. The mere thought wanted to make Makoto cry. He wanted to curl up in a ball and just let the trial occur, him cowering in his podium. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t let himself.

He had to help. He couldn’t just sit down and let the world end around him. It wasn’t fair to himself. It wasn’t fair to just wait for death. He was going to live. He had to live. He _ will _l-

“NO! GET OUT!” Came a shrill voice, shaking Makoto out of his stupor. He bolted to his feet, running out of Mondo’s dorm room at the sound.

“What is it?! What’s going on?!” He asked to no one in particular, before Celestia Ludenberg was pushed to the floor.

“Egh, I’m being manhandled is what’s going on.” Celeste grumbled.

“GIVE THEM BACK!” Touko roared, snatching a stack of files from Celeste’s hands, and clutching them to her chest.

“What’s going on?” Makoto asked, exasperated.

“S-S-S-S-SHE STOLE SOMETHING FROM ME!” Touko shouted.

“As if you didn’t steal them first.” Celeste groaned, taking Makoto’s hand and standing up.

“S-Still!” Touko shouted.

“You didn’t answer my question!” Makoto responded. “What, happened?” Makoto stated.

“What happened-” Celeste stood up, dusting off her dress. “Is that Touko Fukawa stole the motives out of that present.”

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

That horrible noise echoed throughout the hallways like a death toll.

_ “IM BOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!” Monokuma’s voice rang out from the PA System. “Welp! That’s that, I guess! The investigation period is now OVER! Please report to the symbol of strength at once so that the class trial may begin! Thank you beary much!” _

“That’s. We still have time.” Celeste responded. “He’s breaking his own rules.”

“What the _ hell _,” Kyoko’s voice seethed from a nearby dorm room. “We had more time. What happened to our time?”

“I...guess we don’t have that time anymore.” Makoto worried, eye-ing Touko suspicously.

She glanced down at the papers in her hands. “I’m innocent. I-I swear!”

“Well, you can prove that at the trial.” Kyoko responded, waving ahead of her as the four of them headed off towards the Symbol of Strength.

\---

“There you guys a-Touko, what are those?” Kiyotaka asked, head titled to one side.

Touko gripped them closer. “T-T-T-They’re, uh, they’re,” She paused, looking to Kyoko for hope, though she shook her head “They’re the motives.”

“Oh, did you guys find them?” Kiyotaka inquired.

Touko blushed in embarassment. “Y-Yes. But I didn’t take them, I swear!”

“Well that, _ does _sound suspicious, Touko.” Tsubasa added.

“I KNOW! OKAY?! Just, just can we get on with the trial? If I’m gonna die I don’t wanna make it drawn out.” Touko sighed.

“THATS THE SPIRIT, MISS FUKAWA!!!!!” Monokuma shouted, sitting atop the Symbol of Strength. “Wow, this is so exciting!!! God, only a few days here and TWO murders! I’m so proud of all of you!”

No one responded. A deep feeling of disgust filled Makoto’s stomach. He wasn’t going to give Monokuma the satisfaction of an answer.

Monokuma huffed. “Oh well! OPEN SEASAME!” Monokuma shouted, as the Bear Statue began to disassemble and reassemble, forming the terrifying elevator Makoto had ridden in. It felt like years ago the first time he had walked into that elevator. But no, in reality it had only been a few days ago.

Makoto stepped into the elevator, and he felt like he wanted to cry. He vaguely heard Kyoko and the others stepping into the elevator, though his overwhelming dread desired his attention more than his senses did.

\---

“WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME!” Monokuma shouted. “Take to your podiums, my wonderful students!” 

Makoto dutifully walked over to Podium #1, hands steadying himself on the wooden railing. The others filed into the following podiums as Makotos heart threatened to beat out of his chest.

“Before I begin the trial, I would like to review the rules! You can’t skip this tutorial, so LISTEN UP!” Monokuma said. “As you guys are WELL aware, you are here to debate the killer of Yasuhiro Hagakure, Ultimate Clairvoyant!” He spoke, giggling to himself. “The Class Trial will be an open debate, where everyone will proclaim their arguments. If you figure out whodunnit, and picked out the Blackened who disrupted the peace, they will be executed for their crime! But if you pick the wrong one…..I’ll execute everyone BESIDES the Blackened, who will be allowed to claim their prize, freedom from my glorious Killing Game, and graduation from the academy!” He cackled. “With the boring stuff out of the way, ALL RISE FOR THE CLASS TRIAL!” He banged his gavel on the chair next to him, laughing as the students began.

“Well, we already know who did it, don’t we?” Iore spoke, a finger on her chin.

“Iore, we literally just started. We have no idea of who-” Kiriko started, though Iore just kept talking.

“Touko did it.”

“B-BULLSHIT! WHERE’S YOUR PROOF?!” Touko screamed.

“Well, you stole the motives, obviously. Why else would you steal the motives, if you didn’t use them as a reason to kill?” Iore said.

“I-I-I-I DIDN’T STEAL ANYTHING!” She screamed.

“Everyone, calm down-!” Kyoko started, though Iore was already leaning forward on her podium, locking eyes with Touko.

“But, you’re holding them in your hands.” She said. “Can’t Celestia vouch for me?” Iore responded.

“Yes, I did see Touko grabbing the motives from her room. Yes, this makes her a prime suspect. But we c-”

“There! Easy! We’ve discovered the evil-doer!” Iore smiled. “I’m ready to vote myself.”

“Monokuma, would I break the rules by tying up Iore?” Kyoko spat.

“100% legal as long as you can find some rope!!!!” Monokuma cackled.

“Can we PLEASE discuss alibis first? Just steamrolling everyone else won’t get us anywhere.” Makoto shouted.

“But we already know the killer!” Iore protested.

“OH MY GOD, SHUT THE HELL UP!” Mondo screamed. “Get it through your thick skull!” He screamed.

“Yes, uh, thanks, Mondo.” Makoto responded. “I’ll go first. On the time of the murder, I was searching the school with Kyoko and Celeste.”

“I was eating in the dining hall.” Leon said at Podium #2. “No idea there was even a murder until the alarm went off.”

“I was in my room.” Sayaka stated at Podium #3. “Practicing singing, haha! I can’t let my voice slip.”

“I-I was also in my room.” Chihiro said at Podium #4.

Byakuya Togami could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Byakuya Togami was dead, and Podium #5 was empty.

“I was patrolling the hallways for any hints about the motive thief!” Kiyotaka stated at Podium #6.

“I was also searching with Makoto and Kyoko.” Celeste spoke at Podium #7. “Both of them can vouch for me.”

“I was searching the warehouse with Junko and Tsubasa!” Iore smiled at Podium #8.

Yasuhiro Hagakure could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Yasuhiro Hagakure was dead, and Podium #9 was empty.

“I was gathering materials for a new project. I’ve had an itch to make a new dress.” Kiriko stated from Podium #10.

“I was searching with Celeste and Makoto.” Kyoko--Podum #11-- stated. “Of course, I back up all their alibis.”

“I was looking for the missing motives with Hina.” Sakura explained from Podium #12.

“I was in the warehouse with Junko and Iore, of course.” Tsubasa smiled from Podium #13. “I had no idea anyone was even killed…”

“Same here. I was in the warehouse with Iore and Tsubasa.” Junko stated from Podium #14. “Damn, if I was anywhere else, I could’ve…”

“Don’t blame yourself, Junko.” Sayaka stated. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“R-Right…” Junko sighed. “Thanks, Sayaka.”

“Moving on,” Kyoko waved.

“Right, uh, I was, uh, I was in my room.” Touko stuttered from Podium #15.

“See? She’s incredibly guitly.” Iore responded. “We have no reason to believe her whatsoever.”

“Shut up, pipsqueak.” Mondo growled from Podium #16. “I was takin’ a nap.” Mondo explained.

“I was looking for the motives with Sakura.” Hina added from Podium #17.

“I was looking over new character sheets in my room!” Aiko called from Podium #18. “I must have lost track of time, I only got the news when Celeste discovered the body…”

Kotomi Ikuta could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Kotomi Ikuta was dead, and Podium #19 was empty.

“Good. Now that’s out of the way, we can begin our discussion.” Kyoko stated.

“Finally!” Iore said in exasperation. “I’ve been telling you all this time, it’s Toko!”

“SHUT UP! YOU HAVE NO PROOF! I DIDN’T DO SHIT!” Toko responded, hands gripping her podium in anger.

“Explain the motives then! Why the hell did you have the motives?!” Iore responded.

“I-I, don’t owe you anything, you son of a bitch, e-girl motherfucker!” Toko screamed.

“If you want to be cleared of suspicion, then give us some hard proof you didn’t kill Yasuhiro. Hell! Even give us some proof that you didn’t steal the motives, that’s ALL I am asking of you, Toko.” Iore shouted, eyes locking with the Romance Novelist.

“I,” Toko started. “I didn’t do it.”

“JUST SAYING THAT-”

“NO! I, someone else did it. Yes, my hands took the motives but it, it wasn’t me.” Toko responded.

“Huh?” Aiko asked. “Did some warlock possess you or somethin’?” Toko’s eyeroll was audible.

Makoto pondered for a moment before his head snapped up. “Toko, do you mean...Syo?”

Toko sighed at the words. “Yup.”

“Who the hell is ‘Syo’?” Iore responded. “Just making people up won’t work anymore.”

“Iore, shut up.” Kyoko snapped. “If Toko would like to explain it,” She looked at Toko, who nodded.

“I have DID. Dissociative Identity Disorder. Syo is one of my alters, and is a total edgelord. She’s the worst, and she’s the one who stole the motives.” Toko explained. A sigh of relief washing over her.

Iore grumbled. “Fine. A simple enough excuse. But know that I’m still suspicious of you.”

Toko balled her fists. “Fine.” She took one of her braids, and tickled under her nose. Within seconds, she took a deep inhale, before sneezing into her sleeve. She didn’t come up for a bit.

“Toko…?” Makoto asked.

“WWHHHHHHAAAAATTTTTT????” Toko(?) sprang back up, making direct eye contact with Makoto. “That is SO totally NOT my name!! I’m not a whiny lame-o crybaby! I’m a totally cool, totally awesome, and TOTALLY _ HOT _ mistress of darkness and fear!! THE NAME’S GENOCIDER SYO, BABEY!!!!” She hysterically cackled, dramatically tucking Toko’s glasses into her shirt and ripping the ties out of the usual braids Toko wore her hair in.

“Ah, so she wasn’t kidding when she said that Syo was an edgelord…” Sayaka chuckled.

“WHAT’S THAT, MUSIC LADY??????” Syo responded. “WOW, way to be rude to people who could TOTALLY beat up your dad!!”

“W-Why is that important?!” Sayaka responded.

“Who caaaaaares, now who wants to FIGHT ME??!!”

“N-No one! We’re just here to have a civil discussion and deduce who killed Yasuhiro-” Makoto started.

“SHOVE IT, BIG MAC!” Syo responded. “I bet you eat gummy worms for breakfast!”

“N-No?” Makoto responded.

“I DIDN’T ASK FOR YOUR OPINION!!”

“Moving on,” Kyoko said, desperately trying to get this trial back on track. “Let’s discuss the basics of the murder.

“R-Right.” Leon started. “Well, uh, Yasuhiro was floating face down in the water right? He got drowned to death.”

“Correct, and according to the Monokuma File, the murder had taken place after the motives had been swiped-”

“BY ME!!!!” Syo interjected.

“R-Right, by her,” Chihiro finished.

“That’s, an extremely short window of time to kill someone, especially with a murder method of this complexity.” Celeste affirmed.

“Indeed.” Tsubasa said. “If I remember correctly, then Yasuhiro was not drowned by hand, but instead weighed down by several sandbags that were tied ot him, right?”

“Yes.” Kyoko said. “There were 5 total, 2 tied to his wrists, 2 tied to his ankles, and one tied to his neck.”

“How heavy sandbags are we talkin’ here?” Mondo asked.

“Would it make a difference?” Kiriko added. “Regardless, drowning would be the cause of death.”

“Yeah, but if the sandbag was heavy enough, you could put the thing around his neck, and use it to break the damn thing in half.” Mondo finished.

“Ah…” Chihiro mused. “Well, that’s certainly one way to kill him…”

“How heavy were those sandbags, Monokuma?”

“HMMM?? Well, if I was to wager a guess…” Monokuma held his head in thought. “SIKE!!! PUHUHUHUHU, AS IF I’D EVER GIVE YOU A HINT!!”

“Okay,” Hina continued. “Regardless, we shouldn’t just say that he was drowned right off the bat. Like Mondo said, there are tons of potential methods that we don’t even know about.”

“Hina and Mondo are right.” Kyoko stated. “We can’t just stay married to one concept the whole time.”

“Maybe we could glean some kind of suspect list if we took a look at the motives?” Iore asked.

“The damage is, sadly, already done.” Sakura said. “If there would be a time to look at the motives, the time would be now.”

“Whaaa???” Syo asked. “Oh, you want a peek at these babies?? NO DEAL!”

“Oh come on!” Aiko said. “You might be cool, but at least let us crack those ones open!”

“...FINE!” Syo responded. “But one of you goobers has to buy me scissors.”

“W-Why would we buy you scissors?” Celeste asked.

“THEY’RE COOL, THAT’S WHY! Imagine, me, hopping from rooftop to rooftop under cover of night, fighting with especially engraved scissors!!! It’d be cool as hell!!”

“F-FINE! We’ll get you scissors, deal?” Junko shouted.

“Sure! Here ya go, Junky!!” She chucked the manilla file full of motives to Junko, who--judging by the look on her face, wasn’t amused by her nickname.

Junko glided her acrylic nail along the file, using it as a makeshift letter-opener to remove the glued on flap.

Junko’s face went white upon opening them. “What the hell…”

“What are they?” Makoto asked. “Are they...bad?”

Junko took a deep breath. “No, they’re just...a lot.” she cleared her throat, holding what looked like a photo. “Junko Enoshima’s sister went missing at a young age, but according to his files, Mr. Monokuma has located her exact location.” Junko removed a large map with a pinpointed location. “But Junko is trapped in a killing game! She can’t go save her sister while trapped inside Hope’s Peak!”

Mondo fumed. “That’s...disgusting.”

Makoto blinked in surprise. “Can you...read mine, Junko?”

Junko swallowed, sifting through the papers. “...Makoto Naegi feels normal. Average. Middling. And the truth is? The truth is that he is all of those things. Being extraordinary can’t come from within, since he simply doesn’t have the power. But if he killed, and got away with it, he’d take down all his classmates in one fell swoop.”

Makoto wanted to cry. “What...why would that be in there?! I’d...I’d never-!”

“But how do we _ know _you’d never, hmmm?” Iore smiled. “We’ve known eachother for what? 5, 7 days? A week and a half at most? This is the first I’m hearing about Touko’s DID. Maybe you’re hiding things too.”

“N-No! I didn’t kill Yasuhiro!”

“Lay off Makoto!” Leon shouted. “He didn’t do anything!” Leon glared at Iore. “Junko, read Iore’s motive! Maybe that’ll give us some insight.”

Junko eyed Iore. She gave a happy nod. “Go ahead! I have nothing to hide.”

Junko tentatively took the file in hand. “...Iore Kitabayashi is the only graduating student of her middle school. The rest of her class are waiting for her in the real world. Their exact locations and history are attached to this file.”

Iore tried to keep neutral, but anyone with eyes could see the smirk fighting against her jaw. “How...interesting.”

“STOP BEING SO SKETCHY!” Syo shouted.

Iore scoffed. “As if I’m sketchy! Junko, read Syo’s file!”

“...Syo’s or Touko’s?” Junko asked.

“EWWW, don’t read Miss Morose’s file! She’s a total dweeb! Did you know she peed the bed until second grade??? LMAO!” 

“...Thank you, for that, Syo.” Makoto said.

Junko searched. “Oh, they...share one.”

“AW COME ON!” She turned to Monokuma. “UGH, don’t lump be in with that buzzkill!”

“Well you DO have the same body…” Monokuma started. “I’m not MADE of money!! Save the trees, Miss Genocider!”

Junko coughed, grabbing the file. “Toko Fukawa killed a man in the summer of 2013.”

“What?!” Makoto shouted.

Junko continued. “G-Genocider Syo talks a big game, but is lying about her dastardly deeds.”

“HEHEHEHEHE, YEAH, THAT CHECKS OUT!” Syo shouted.

“T-Toko...killed someone?!” Aoi screamed in shock.

“I...can’t believe this…” Sakura responded. “I don’t believe it.”

“Syo,” Kyoko started. “Bring Toko out. We want to talk to her.”

“HELL NO!” Syo laughed. “That lame-o has gotten enough time out and about!”

Celeste rolled her eyes. “May we please continue with the trial? We still have no substantial evidence to prove the identity of the killer.”

“Well, I have an idea.” Chihiro explained.

“Really?” Tsubasa began. “Speak up then, Chihiro.”

Chihiro stammered from all the eyes on her. “W-Well, before the body discovery announcement went off, I was in my room. And I...I heard…”

“You heard what, Chihiro?” Kiriko asked.

“I heard...talking.”

“T-TALKING?! Were some dark forces conspiring against us?!” Aiko shouted.

“O-Obviously not! But...could it be that this was...premeditated…?” Kiyotaka exclaimed.

“Taka, all murder is pre-meditated…” Sayaka sighed.

“Anyway,” Mondo moved on. “What were the people sayin’ Chihiro?”

“Oh, um…” Chihiro wondered. “Nothing in particular. I think…” Chihiro seemed lost in thought. “Talking about how heavy he was. They were talking to themselves, I think. They seemed angry.”

“The Killer, then.” Makoto stated.

“Great, now we just gotta review the alibis, right? See what doesn’t line up?” Leon guessed.

“Right.” Kyoko added. “Well, me, Makoto, and Celeste should be cleared of suspicion. All three of us were looking for the motives.”

“But you could’ve been working together.” Iore tried. “Maybe Makoto was moving Yasuhiro to the pool while you and Celeste planted the motives on Toko, hmm?”

“NEWSFLASH, ASSHOLE!” Syo shouted. “Miss Morose stole those all on her own!!! I know, because I share my senses with her!”

“...Right.” Celeste continued. “As Kyoko was saying, Sayaka, Mondo, Chihiro, Toko, and Aiko were all in their rooms. Which should clear them of suspicion.”

“Yeah!” Junko stated. “Plus, me, Iore, and Tsubasa were in the warehouse…”

“So that just leaves…” Sayaka started. “Leon, Kiriko and Kiyotaka.”

“Taka doesn’t have it in him to kill, it couldn’t be him.” Mondo grumbled protectively.

“I assure you that I did not kill Mr. Hagakure!” Kiyotaka affirmed. “I was patrolling as usual.”

“As easy as it would be to believe you,” Kyoko began. “We cannot rule out any suspect. Even one as trusthworthy as you, Taka.”

“Well, it’s not me.” Kiriko began. “You can check the warehouse. I had already taken the fabrics there to begin progress on my new project.”

“W-Well, I didn’t kill Hiro!” Leon shouted. “I swear!”

“That sounds _ awfully _suspicious, Leon…” Iore mused.

“SHUT UP!”

“Leon!” Makoto shouted. “Calm down. No one is accusing you.”

“So, we’re down to three suspects…” Junko started. “And we don’t got a chance in hell to figure out who did it, huh?”

“I doubt it was Kiriko.” Celeste started. “No offense, but she doesn’t seem strong enough to lug Yasuhiro’s body up to the pool.”

“None taken.” Kiriko smirked. “I pride myself on being frail and delicate.”

“In that case, the only person that could fit the mold would be Leon, right?” Aiko tried. “He’s got muscle from playing baseball all the time, and Kiyotaka’s skinny as a twig.”

“I take offense to that!” Kiyotaka exclaimed. “I pride myself of my weekly kendo training!” He said, flexing an arm.

“Oh, well that makes things easier for us. Leon’s the killer.” Iore said.

“Stop jumping to conclusions!” Sakura shouted. “We’re not going to get anywhere if we spend all our time jumping at eachothers throats!”

“What else are we supposed to do?!” Chihiro cried. “We’ve already lost three people, and now, if we don’t kill another person...we’re ALL going to die!”

“...It seems voting is all that is left…” Tsubasa sighed.

“N-NO! Stop!” Leon shouted. “I DIDN’T DO IT!” He turned around wildly, looking from person to person for anyone who would stand up for him. “...Makoto, you believe me, right? I didn’t kill Yasuhiro, you have to believe me!””

And the world stopped for Makoto. He blinked, tears threatening to spill over his cheeks. Three suspects. Only one of them could’ve done it. Only one of them killed Yasuhiro. And if he guessed wrong, then he was done for too.

Makoto examined his classmates, looking at them all carefully. Looking at their faces. Their posture. Their hands. Their clothes.

Wait, their, their clothes.

“Leon didn’t kill him.” Makoto stated. “But I know who did!”

“OHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!” Monokuma exclaimed. “Oh, how the plot thickens!!”

“You do?!” Hina shouted. “Well, go on!”

“Makoto…” Leon whispered.

“Don’t mention it.” Makoto shot back.

“Yes, yes, you two can hug it out later after you EXPLAIN WHO THE KILLER IS!” Celeste shouted.

“Right! Yeah!” Makoto steeled himself. “Well, I was thinking about how quickly everything happened. How...easy it was for the killer.”

“It did seem to go by pretty quickly.” Sayaka stated. “It’s...weird, now that I look at it.”

“The Killer would’ve only had around...45 minutes to execute their scheme. Maybe more if we’re being generous.” Makoto explained.

“WE KNOW THIS ALREADY, BIG MAC!” Syo shouted. “GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!”

“D-Did you just call me Big Mac?!” Makoto exclaimed.

“Yup! What, do you not have ears?!” Syo laughed.

“Anyway…” Makoto continued. “And then I got to thinking. Yes, Leon and Kiyotaka wouldve been able to lug Yasuhiro’s body up all those stairs with relative ease. He’s a tall guy, but he’s as heavy as a twig. It wouldn’t take much to move him efficiently. Especially with the rest of us combing the whole academy.”

“Yeah...but what’s your point?” Chihiro asked.

“Literally anyone here could’ve lifted Yasuhiro.” Makoto explained. “It wouldn’t be hard.”

“Yes, yes, stop dodging the question and tell us who did it!” Celeste nearly shouted.

“Well...the one thing that didn’t make sense in this whole thing is the sandbags.” Makoto explained. “We never learned where they came from, we checked the warehouse, and Junko, Tsubasa, and Iore saw no discrepancies. Plus, they were heavier than Yasuhiro himself. Definietely hard to come by.”

“What are you implying, Makoto?” Tsubasa asked.

“Well, for someone who earned the title of Ultimate Tailor, putting together sandbags after lugging a lightweight like Yasuhiro around would be childsplay, right?” Makoto stated.

“Are...are you implying that I killed Yasuhiro?” Kiriko asked, almost flattered. “HA! How utterly asinine.”

“But we can’t rule it out.” Kyoko added. “Makoto offers an interesting point. Creating sandbags upwards of 160 pounds in the short timeframe required would usually be utterly impossible. But Kiriko is possibly the only one here capable of such a feat.”

“Is that a compliment, Kyoko? If so, I’m flattered.” Kiriko said.

“Shut up, would you?” Celeste added. “I never realized how annoying you were when you talked, but your voice is like sharp nails on a chalkboard.” She seethed silently, seemingly protective of Kyoko.

“You all do understand that I am being framed, yes?” Kiriko asked. “I was working on a project. I was sewing. In fact, I was fixing up this tear in my dress when the alarm went off.” Kiriko gestured to the new patch she had added. “Besides, how would I even kill him? Not like I can lug Yasuhiro and all those sandbags at once into a pool.”

“...You didn’t have to throw him in the pool…” Hina said, eyes widening. “Y-You strangled him!”

Kiriko laughed, though her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “W-What? Haha, that is utterly outrageous!”

“No, no when we were investigating...” Sakura trailed off, lost in her own thoughts. “That’s why he was weighed down! You didn’t wanna get wet, did you?”

“Well, I do hate getting my clothes wet, but that is hardly a concrete theory.” She stated. “Just because I care about my outfit’s upkeep doesn’t mean that I’m a murderer.”

“WELL WELL WELL, this has been quite the trial!” Monokuma began. “But I think this is where we stop!”

“Hold on!” Sayaka shouted. “Since when have the trials had a time limit!”

“Since 2 seconds ago!” Monokuma laughed. “Watching you guys come to shocking epiphanies is exciting and all, but a bear can only take so much! I think we should finally continue onto…..VOTING TIME!!!!”

“Stop breaking your own damn rules!” Mondo shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

“When will you kids understand?! I’m the headmaster! I get to make all the rules! PUHUHUHUHU!” Monokuma cackled as screens descended from the ceiling, all reading: ‘VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME!’ in bright pink text.

Makoto hated it. He hated all of this. Fine, he could shout. He could give his opinion. He could do most of it. He could suffer through it. But sentencing someone to death, to never see the light of day again? He couldn’t take it.

“Now, would you all direct those peepers of yours to the dashboard on your podium?? Pretty please, for me???” Makoto looked down, seeing a myriad of buttons. 5, 9, and 19 were blacked out. “Once I open the polls, you all will simply push the button and vote for who you think disturbed the peace and became blackened! Eeeee, I simply can’t wait to see the results!! Who's it gonna be, who's it gonna be???!!!!”

The screens changed to read “POLLS OPEN!!”, as the other students reluctantly tapped buttons on their dashboards below. Makoto, with a shaking hand, examined the suspects surrounding him. He tried to blink away brimming tears, before pressing button number 10, the one corresponding to Kiriko Nishizawa.

“And with that, the votes are in!!! Let’s tally 'em up, shall we??” Monokuma laughed, as the screens shifted to record votes. Images of every student flashed before his eyes, with an empty bar below the images, listing the number of people who voted for that person. After a half minute that felt like an eternity, the images stopped, leaving just three silhouettes.

“In third place, with 2 votes is...Genocider Syo!!” Monokuma cackled. “A big round of applause for her!”

“WOOOOW! Way to stereotype, you dumpasses!” Syo protested.

“I was just going with my gut.” Iore explained. “I was already going to vote before I knew you had DID.”

“Nice excuse, lame-o!”

“ANYWAY!” Monokuma continued. “In second place with….5 votes! It’s...LEON KUWATA!”

“What the, what the fuck guys?!” Leon exclaimed.

No one said anything.

“AND LASTLY!!! COMING IN AT 9 VOTES, THE ONE WHO VOTED TO BE THE BLACKENED IS….” Monokuma paused for dramatic effect. “KIRIKO NISHIZ-!”

“HOW DARE YOU!” Kiriko screamed, her voice making Makoto’s ears strain. “You… you all disgust me. You should be ASHAMED of yourselves! FOR YOU TO SO BRAZENLY ACCUSE ME-ME, OF ALL PEOPLE, OF SUCH A HEINOUS AND TWISTED ACT...I shall see to it that you all BURN in the hottest circle of hell!”

“K-Kiriko?!” Chihiro asked. “W-What’s wrong?”

“What is...wrong? Chihiro? WHAT’S WRONG?!” Kiriko cackled. “OH, NOTHING MUCH! IT IS JUST THAT MY HEAD IS BEING PLACED ON A BLOCK, AS I AWAIT MY EXECUTION!”

“A-Are you admitting that you killed him…?” Kiyotaka whispered.

“OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!” Kiriko screamed. “YES! YES I KILLED HIM! MUST YOU SPIT ON ME WHILE I AWAIT DEATH?!”

“HOLD ON THERE, EVERYONE!” Monokuma shouted. “We still haven’t announced the Blackened!”

“But, the Blackened just admitted that she did it.” Kyoko stated.

“THIS IS HOW WE WORK, MISS KIRIGIRI!”

The screens changed again, to a roulette wheel, split into 19 slices, each one marked with the face of a student. Within seconds, a cartoon Monokuma pulled the lever, as the wheel spun, all the colors blending together as it twirled so rapidly. “And, the true identity of the blackened is…” The wheel stopped.

“** _KIRIKO NISHIZAWA, THE ULTIMATE TAILOR!!!” _ **Monokuma cackled. “Congrats, my students!!”

“But...why?” Leon asked, terrified.

“Isn’t it obvious?!” Kiriko whirled around. “I’ve worked TOO hard, and I’ve lasted TOO long, to rot away in a shithole like this!”

“W-What do you mean…?” Makoto started. And Kiriko looked like she wanted to kill him next.

“ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN!!!” Monokuma laughed, leaning forward with a grin. “Allow me to pain you a picture with the power of….TECHNOLOGY!!” The screens behind shifted into a story book, reading: “Kiriko-ella”.

_ “When she was a little girl, Kiriko-ella was a worker! She would clean, and cook, and work in order to keep herself alive. She never knew her family, so she had to work for herself and her family just to survive.” _

_ “Kiriko-ella met a rich woman. And she made clothes for her. This was her only chance to rise from the poverty she had spent her youth in. With a wave of this woman’s wand, Kiriko-ella was at the ball. She’s walking in a bright pink gown, wearing glass slippers on a run-way.” _

_ “And now, here she is! In Hope’s Peak Academy! Will she die here? Or...will she escape?” _

“...Kiriko,” Sayaka began.

“Do not give me the insult of your pity.” Kiriko spat. “I would rather have my head lobbed off then listen to another moment of your meaningless apologies.”

“Kiriko, this isn’t your fault!” Makoto tried. “If you’d just l-”

“Shut your mouth!” Kiriko spat. “Monokuma, please just get it over with. Execute me however you’d please.”

“PUHUHUHUHU!! DON’T GIVE ME SO MUCH FREEDOM, MISS NISHIZAWA!” Monokuma cackled.

“I don’t care anymore.” Kiriko responded. “I have nothing, now. Nothing.” Kiriko’s heels clicked as she stepped off of her podium, and strutted towards the large metal door that read ‘VACANT’. Makoto swore it wasn’t there a moment ago “If such a hell exists, I hope you all burn in it.” She stated, a frown painted on her face.

“Let’s get it going!!! THRILLS, CHILLS, KILLS!!! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Monokuma laughed and laughed, as the doors opened. Kiriko stepped over into the door, as the door slammed shut behind her, the sign above it changing to read: ‘IN USE’

The screens changed to read:

**CONGRATULATIONS!**

**KIRIKO NISHIZAWA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY**

  
  
  


**TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!**

As the screen changed to read this, a 16-bit sprite of Kiriko was dragged away by a 16-bit Monokuma. The screen changed once more:

Kiriko Nishizawa opened her eyes to see a large runway. A long, scarlet red runway. In front of her was an endless crowd, hundreds of people high. They were all...clapping. Applauding her. Laughing, singing, praising. There, up the steps the runway led down, were two people dressed in lavish robes. A king and a queen. They held a crown. All they needed...was a princess.

  
  


**THE CROWNING OF PRINCESS KIRIKO**

Kiriko walked. Her heels thumped quietly against the velvet carpet as she moved, a grin breaking across her face as the people around her clapped. Yes, she was the star of this show. She was the leader. The grand occasion of the night. She should be praised. She _ worked _ to be here. She _ worked _ to live this life. She _ worked _to wear a crown. And damn it, she would wear that crown. She had to wear that crown, and she was going to wear that crown. She broke into a run. Her heels strained and cracked as she chased that crown. The crowds enclosed her. A hand grabbed at the ribbon at the back of her dress. Then someone grabbed her necklace of pearls. She didn’t care. She only wanted that crown. She heaved and huffed as she took the steps up to the throne, her dress torn and ripped. She laughed. She turned her gaze on the king and queen, ignoring the faces of Monokuma on them. They gestured to the block between them. Of course. A block to place her head on to be coronated. Kiriko placed her forehead against the blocks. But the only cool metal against her head was the sharp blade of the guillotine. She hesitated, pulling back, as the blade missed, slashing into the back of her head, and straight through her chin. She tried to scream. She wanted to scream. The Monokuma Royals laughed, kicking the blade down further and further, slashing the jagged blade through her head. Finally, the crown touched her head, and Princess Kiriko took her throne.

  
  


“WOWIE-ZOWIE!!!!!!” Monokuma cackled. “Elegant! Exuberant! THRILLING, HONESTLY!”

Makoto wanted to puke.

“What the…” Aoi started. “What the FUCK?! WHAT THE ABSOLUTELY FUCK?!”

“What is wrong with you?” Celeste asked. “Truly, what didn’t click in your brain? What ruined you, to drive you to this point.”

“Stop trying to find an answer to some tragic question!” Monokuma laughed. “Sometimes evil just exists, Miss Ludenberg. Sometimes you can’t explain it!”

15 left. Makoto thought. 15 people. They walked in with 19. And now there was 15. Monokuma was right. Sometimes evil is just there. And then you can’t explain it.

That’s exactly how this was. This killing game was just that. Killing. Inexplicable, inescapable, unstoppable killing.

And here Makoto was. Front and center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 15/19


	6. Proverbs 16:28-DAILY LIFE

The elevator ride upwards was silent.

It was only when Makoto took a step outside of the golden doors that someone spoke.

“So.” Kiyotaka mustered. “That uh, that. That happened.”

“IT SURE DID!!!” Syo cackled.

“H-How can you laugh at a time like this…?” Chihiro whimpered. “Two more people are dead! What are we supposed to do now?!”

“The only thing we can do.” Celeste spoke. “Just keep on going. It gets easier when you stop trying to care about the individual people.”

“Could you not be an insufferable asshole for more than one minute?!” Junko shouted in return.

“Guys, stop fighting!” Hina protested.

“This is ridiculous.” Tsubasa huffed. “We should just go to our dorm rooms, and ignore each other.”

“Isolating ourselves won’t do any good!” Sayaka shouted. “If we cut ourselves off from each other it’ll make it that much easier to kill without guilt once the next motive hits!”

“This is all Syo’s fault, anyhow!” Iore shouted. “She stole the motives in the first place!”

“WOAH WOAH WOAH, GOSSIP GIRL!” Syo responded, whirling around to meet Iore. “HOW DID ME DOING SOME INGENIOUS THIEVERY CAUSE YASUHIRO TO KICK THE BUCKET?”

“I assume it gave her the impetus to kill.” Iore scoffed. “Feeling threatened drives anyone in-”

“Will you all just  _ shut up?! _ ” Makoto shouted, breaking the silence with one strain of his vocal chords. It was surprising to hear such a confident voice come from his own throat. It felt foreign. “This is exactly what Monokuma wants!” Everyone’s eyes were downcasted, looking anywhere but Makoto. “All he wants to do is divide us. He wants to separate us from each other, to make us doubt each other. The only way to make it out of here alive is to trust one another.”

“...Makoto’s right.” Aiko huffed. “Guess my wisdom check was a critical fail…”

“Although I hate to admit it, I suppose I’ll have to agree with Makoto.” Celeste spoke. “You make a fair point. We’d be playing right into Monokuma’s hands if we kept bickering.”

“I suggest we go to sleep. Get some food, and rest. We’ll reconvene tomorrow when our heads are clearer.” Kyoko affirmed.

And with that, another day passed in Hope’s Peak Academy.

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATER!!!**

**The FitnessGram™ Pacer Test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets more difficult as it continues. The 20 meter pacer test will begin in 30 seconds. Line up at the start. The running speed starts slowly, but gets faster each minute after you hear this signal. [beep] A single lap should be completed each time you hear this sound. [ding] Remember to run in a straight line, and run as long as possible. The second time you fail to complete a lap before the sound, your test is over. The test will begin on the word start. On your mark, get ready, start.**

\---

  
Makoto Naegi awoke, and audibly sighed. He got up, and marched into his bathroom, examining himself in the mirror. He spent a few minutes attempting to fix his hair, but decided to leave it. He was tired. Well, he’d been tired since day one in this killing game, but he still felt the drive to do things. Maybe that was what was keeping him alive.

Makoto then marched into the dining hall after getting dressed. He took a seat, and was just about to bite into his sandwich when-

“GIVE IT BACK!” A voice shouted. Makoto whirled around to see Iore, panting heavily, holding the dining hall door closed, clutching Chihiro’s computer bag under one arm.

“Ah, hello, Makoto.” Iore panted. “What are you up too?”

“I-I could ask you the same thing!” Makoto shouted in return.

“Oh, you know,” A loud thump on the other side of the door. “Doing some investigating.”

“MORE LIKE STEALING!” A voice that now sounded like Chihiro screamed from the other side of the door.

“Iore, just give back her bag!” Makoto protested. “It’s not your place to take people’s private things.”

“Very funny, Makoto. I’m very interested in what’s on here myself.” Iore responded, starting to unzip the bag, just as the door slammed open, Junko’s boot knocking Iore onto her feet as Chihiro wrestled her laptop out of her hands.

“Dude, what the fuck,” Junko spat. “That’s disrespectful as hell!”

“No, I’m just searching for information!” Iore grumbled. “It’s my duty as the Ultimate Rumor Mill.”

“YOU COULD’VE JUST ASKED! I WOULD’VE SHOWN YOU!” Chihiro, clinging to her bag, responded.

“....Oh.” Iore responded. “Well, may, I, um, may I see what you’ve been working on?”

Chihiro groaned. “Sure. Ugh. But I...can’t show you here.”

“Why not?” Junko inquired. Chihiro loosely gestured to the security cameras. “...Ah.”

\---

In hindsight, cramming 15 people into the waiting room was a bad idea.

“So! What’s your big project, Chihiro?” Aoi asked with a smile.

“Yeah, it’s a little hard not to wonder…” Makoto laughed.

“Well, um, it’s kind of hard to explain-”

“Simple! Just do not use complex computer jargon to describe your creation!” Kiyotaka stated with a hearty laugh.

“He’s saying just say normal words.” Mondo translated to a confused looking Leon.

“Okay, well, give me a moment,” Chihiro stammered, fumbling with her laptop.

“Take your time!” Hanako smiled. “Taking time to prepare yourself and to practice self-care is very important! Regardless, I’ll support you no matter what!”

Chihiro blushed furiously. “Be quiet, please, I can’t take much more of your supportive words…”

“BITCH! SHIT! FUCK!” Junko responded.

“T-That’s not better!!” Chihiro protested, before clearing her throat, and placing her laptop down on the benches in the waiting room.

On the screen was...a picture of Chihiro. Specifically, a pixelated 64-bit image of Chihiro, smiling up out of the screen. A cutesy tamagotchi background surrounded her.

“This is, Alter Ego.” Chihiro grinned. “My masterpiece!”

“...A static video game version of yourself is your magnum opus?” Celeste inquired.

“N-No! Just, watch,” Chihiro stammered, typing a few commands in, and mumbling under her breath.

Chihiro tapped enter and got out of the way of the screen. “Say hi, Alter Ego!”

Alter Ego sprung to life. “Hello! My name is Alter Ego! I am a learning AI program capable of adapting to commands, and developing a human persona! I can live, think, and feel just like you!”

“W-Woah!” Aiko shouted. “A talking robot?!”

“Incorrect!” Alter Ego stated. “I am not a robot! I am a learning AI program.”

“AI, Robot, same thing.” Aiko shrugged.

“A-Anyway,” Chihiro responded. “Alter Ego is a software program I developed myself! She’s an artificial intelligence designed to take in and absorb information, and re-utilize that information, and form her own thoughts and feelings on the subject. She’s been a work in progress for upwards of 4 years now! Presenting, Alter Ego 1.0!”

“I have to say,” Sakura started. “That is quite amazing. May I ask her a question?”

“Go right ahead!” Alter Ego chirped, smiling. “Miss Fujisaki turned on my vocal recognition software, so I can hear everything you say! Thank you for quite the introduction, Miss Fujisaki!”

“Well, do you know who is talking right now?” Sakura tried.

“Negative. I can process your voice, but I do not have a name to connect it to.”

“Ah. Well, in that case, my name is Sakura Oogami.” Sakura bowed.

“Happy to meet you, Miss Oogami! What pronouns would you like me to refer to you with?” Alter Ego smiled.

“She/Her would be good.”

“Understood!” Alter Ego grinned.

Then, going around the full class, everyone introduced themselves to Alter Ego, registering their names and voices in her database.

“Alter Ego, I have to ask,” Iore began. “Are you aware of the situation we are all in?”

Alter Ego sighed. “Yes, Miss Fujisaki has informed me of this killing game we are trapped inside of.”

“Well, how is Alter Ego going to assist our escape any way?” Celeste stated. “She’s a wonder of technical advancement, but how is she important to our endeavor?”

“Well, this laptop was found inside of Hope’s Peak.” Alter Ego blipped, then paused, waiting for someone to respond.

“Uh, she means, that I found this laptop in the library. It has tons of encrypted files inside. Alter Ego can work on cracking those and getting inside Monokuma’s systems while we try and survive.” Chihiro explained.

Makoto exhaled. “Finally, some good news.”

\---

“Junko?” Sayaka asked, stepping into the gym. “What are you doing?”

Junko stood in the middle of the gym, her heels planted firmly onto the linoleum. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her hair cascading down her shoulders.

“...Junko? Everything okay?” Sayaka asked, stepping towards.

“Yeah.” She spoke. “Yeah, I’m cool.”

“Really? Cause it doesn’t look like it.” She said, stepping towards her. 

Junko exhaled. “I was just...thinking about my sister.”

Sayaka cocked an eyebrow. “You have a sister?”

Junko laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I do.”

“Why are you thinking about her?”   
  


“When we were little, we were on a family trip to France.” Junko explained. “And my sister convinced me to run away with her. We adventured around France for a full day and a full night, and it wasn’t until the next morning that our parent’s entourage found us.”

“That sounds...horrible.” Sayaka stated.

“No, it wasn’t, though. That was the...the first time I’ve ever been happy.” Junko said. “No parents, no requirements, no photoshoots, no cameras...just me and her. I was free.  _ We  _ were free.”

Sayaka put a hand on her shoulder.

“But...But now I’m here. A-And she’s out there.” Junko stumbled over her words. “And I’m all alone. God, what would she think of me now?”

“Hey.” Sayaka stated, turning Junko to look at her. “I think you’re pretty great.”

Then Junko was kissing her. Then Sayaka was kissing back. Sayaka tried her best to stop time and savor the moment, to make the world stop spinning in order to taste her strawberry lipstick and to hold Junko there.

After what felt like an eternity, Junko pulled away, locking eyes with Sayaka. Bright blue meeting dark gray.

“Ugh, what am I going to do now…” Junko grumbled, resting her head on Sayaka’s shoulder.

“We make it out of here, that’s what. Together.” Sayaka answered.

\---

The Third Floor was a lot different than Makoto had expected. The other floors of Hope’s Peak seemed to serve almost exclusively practical purposes, with numerous classrooms, a school store, a gym, etc, etc. But looking at the map on his handbook, the rooms on this floor were mostly recreational.

First on his list was a set of two classrooms, inconspicuously seated near the staircase. He opened the first door, off-put by the two people inside.

“MISS GENOCIDER!” Kiyotaka shouted. “STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!”

“EAT MY SHORTS, BOOTLICKER!!!” Syo shouted, hurriedly scribbling curse words onto the blackboard.

“THAT IS NOT SCHOOL APPROPRIATE! CEASE YOUR BEHAVIOR THIS INSTANT!” Kiyotaka ordered as Syo ignored him, writing ‘TAKA SUCKS EGGS’ in chicken-scratch. “THAT IS SLANDER!”

“YOU’RE NOT DENYING IT!!! KEHEHEHEHEHE!!!” Syo cackled, before pausing. “Ah...Ah….ACHOO!” She sneezed, falling onto the floor.

“Ow...boy, concrete sure does hurt…” Hanako Fukawa sighed, standing up. She looked at the blackboard briefly, before gasping. “How rude! How could you write this, Kiyotaka?!”

Makoto decided to leave at that.

\---

The Game Room held a strange sight. Bottles of various trinkets scattered around the room offered a strange sort of antique store effect. Which, coupled with the magazines littered about the room, an the numerous board games, made the whole place look disorganized. But what really set Makoto off was Celeste and Monokuma.

“Hmm…” Monokuma grumbled, staring at the cards in his stumbly paws. “Hm…”

“Take your time.” Celeste said, a confident smirk on her face. “Poker is as much performance as it is luck.”

“Hm….” Monokuma continued.

“Ah, Makoto.” Celeste turned. “A pleasure to see you. Monokuma and I were just playing a game of poker.”

“Hm….” Monokuma hummed.

“He’s taking...quite a long time to decide his next move.”

“OH!” Monokuma exclaimed. “I GOT IT!”

“Great. Put your card down and-”

“I can’t read!” Monokuma cackled. “PUHUHUHU! Oh well, I forfeit!”

“....Splendid.” Celeste grumbled, collecting her cards. Monokuma was gone in an instant. “Ugh, I need to play against someone who isn’t a murder robot…”

“I-I can play against you if that’s okay,” Makoto answered.

Celeste stared at him. “Ah. Of course. The Ultimate Lucky Student and The Ultimate Gambler…” Her face split into a grin. “Truly a duel for the centuries. Come, sit down.”

Makoto obliged, pulling the chair out and taking a seat. “I gotta warn you, I don’t know how to play poker.”

“Oh, that’s easy. I’ll explain the rules while I deal.” Celeste began. “There are 10 different types of hands. Some good, and some bad.” She produced a small pamphlet from the table. “Monokuma had to use this to learn them all.” She cleared her throat, and then produced a stack of red chips from her pocket, placing them on the table.

“What are those?” Makoto asked.

“This is the starting bet, or the blinds. We’re not using real money, so these are the substitutes. If we were using real money, I’d rob you blind.” Celeste then placed another stack near Makoto, his bet.

“Of course,” Makoto worriedly laughed.

“Firstly, the dealer ‘burns’ the first card on the deck.” Celeste took a deck of cards from her blazer, putting them down on the table and removing the top one, placing it in a discard pile next to the stack. “Then, the dealer passes out two cards to each player.” Celeste dealt two cards to Makoto and two cards to herself. Makoto examined his Ace of Clubs and 3 of Hearts tentatively. Celeste smirked confidently at hers.

“W-What next?”   
  


“Well, we bet.” Celeste stated. “I look at your face. I look at the way your hands are shaking. I look at the sweat beading down your forehead, I look at the way your hair is matted down. And I bet.” Celeste placed 7 of her 10 black chips forward.

“What do I do?” Makoto asked.

“Well, you have a few options. You can bet against me. You could say check and avoid betting. You could say call to match my bet, you could add more money to the betting pool by saying raise, but then I’ll get to call or check your bet. Or you say fold, and you don’t match my bet.” Celeste explained.

Makoto took a shaky breath. “Uh….check?”

“Ah, interesting.” Celeste smirked. She then took the next card off the deck and burned it into the discard pile. “Moving on. The dealer reveals the flop.” Celeste then took 3 cards off the top of the deck, and laid them face up. The 3 of spades, the ace of diamonds, and the 7 of spades. “These are the community cards that every player can use to build their hand. We compare these cards and the cards in your hand, then place a bet, call a bet, or fold.” Celeste then increased her bet by two.

Makoto decided to at least participate, betting two of his 10 chips. “F-Fold?”

Celeste chuckled, then flipped another fourth card from the deck.

Makoto attempted to play along with Celeste, but in the end, was no match for the Ultimate Gambler. It was terrifying, to be completely honest. Terrifying, how Celeste easily destroyed him. Thank god they weren’t playing with anything valuable. Aside from Makoto’s pride, of course.

“Is...that really how you play Poker?” Makoto asked after she had placed the cards back inside her pocket.

“Well, if it wasn’t, you wouldn’t know the difference, would you?” Celeste smirked.

“W-What do you mean by that?” Makoto said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Celeste chuckled. She  _ chuckled _ . “My name is Celestia Ludenberg. My name is feared in underground crime rings. There, in those gambling circles, I am called the ‘Queen of Liars’.”

“The Queen of Liars? That sounds…” Makoto paused. “...Dramatic.”

“I assure you, I do not cheat.” Celeste responded, halfway offended. “I want you to look at my face, Makoto.” Celeste grabbed him by the collar, bringing him close. “I have a smile on. My hair is perfect. My nails are sharp, yet practical. My dress was ironed this morning. I lie. It’s what I  _ do _ . When I play poker, it’s up to me to smile and nod. To bluff. To fool the opponent in falling for the ruse that I am.”

Makoto held his breath, desperately trying to keep his breathing from sounding ragged and troubled. Celeste released him, staggering his balance and making him shake on his feet.

“Hm.” Celeste made a noise. “Mayhaps I have overshared,” she spoke, then began to walk towards the game room door. “Thank you for the game, Makoto.”

\---

“M-MONDO?!” Makoto shouted, dashing towards one of the nailed down windows. Mondo, wielding a sledgehammer, was currently attacking the reinforced steel.

“Huh? Nah, I’m just tryna get this damn thing off.” Mondo spat.

“Indeed!” Kiyotaka added, appearing from around a corner with a drill. “We’re going to drill a hole through it.”

“B-WHY?!” Makoto shouted, exasperated, grabbing onto Kiyotaka’s arm as he lifted the drill to the steel, wrenching it out of his hand.

“Makoto, let go of him!” Mondo stated, shrugging Makoto off of Kiyotaka.

“Dude, Monokuma will kill BOTH of you if you mess around with Hope’s Peak like this!” Makoto protested.

“Eh, I’ll just kick his ass.” Mondo responded.

“Huh??? Kick whose ass???” Monokuma stated, appearing on top of Makoto’s head, making him scramble to remove him. “Hey!!! Mr. Oowada and Mr. Ishimaru, please refrain from messing with my lovely dovely high school!”

“We weren’t doing anything, Monokuma! The rules state nowhere that we aren’t allowed to destroy school property!”

“Mr. Ishimaru, I’d like to direct you to rule number 5 on your student handbook!” Monokuma grumbled. “Rule Number Five: Any violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is  **the destruction of any school property such as mounted guns or security cameras.”**

Kiyotaka gave a cocky smirk, a sight that seemed strange on his usually warm face. “Precisely! Such as mounted guns or security cameras! The rules state nowhere that destroying window covers are violating school rules!”

Monokuma pondered for a moment. “I...guess you’re... _ technically _ right? UGH, why can’t kids just break rules like normal, then I get to kill them?!” Monokuma hopped down from Makoto’s head. “Fine, I’ll let you two off this time, but the school rules have been updated!” Then, Monokuma was gone.

Makoto took out his handbook and checked rule number 5. He read aloud: “Rule Number Five: Any violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is the destruction of any school property (note: anything that is a part of hope’s peak academy is considered school property. Be creative with how you dispose of evidence though!)”

“Drat!” Kiyotaka shouted. “Well I guess that cuts our plan short.”

“Oh well. This fucker ain’t budgin’ either. Guess we should pack up and call it a wash.”

Makoto sighed with relief. “Well, I’m glad you’re both o-”

“AAAAAHHH!” A scream of distress broke through the air.

“W-What was that?!” Makoto shouted.

“Quit blabbering and move! We ain’t got time!” Mondo was already on his feet. He and Taka dropped everything, and ran towards the sound with Makoto in tow.

\---

The sound had come from the extravagant Hope’s Peak Art Room. Lined with marble statues and paints as far as the eye could see, the place was a goldmine of creative expression.

But right now, Makoto was more focused on the sight in the middle of the room.

Aiko Umesawa, covered in bright pink.

“A-Aiko?!” Makoto tried, hands shaking and tears brimming at the corners of his eyes.

Aiko rolled over, motionless. Makoto took a step forward, and reached in to touch her pulse.

“Makoto, dude what’s wrong?” Aiko asked, giving Makoto his second heart attack. Aiko was, by all means, fine.

“What the FUCK, Aiko?!” Makoto shouted, scrambling to his feet as Aiko laughed, pushing herself back up.

“I was trying to get that paint bucket from up there!” Aiko explained, pointing to a shelf of paints. “But, unfortunately, all 5 feet of me couldn’t reach it. So the bucket kinda. Fell on me and spilled paint all over me...and knocked me out a little bit. I might have a concussion…”

Makoto breathed a sigh of relief.

“Miss Umesawa, if you have a concussion please go to your room and sleep!” Taka issued.

“Hell no, I got work to do!” Aiko protested, grabbing the upended paint bucket and placing it on the table.

“What work?? You’re a role player, aren’t you all text based or whatever?” Mondo asked, as Aiko gasped, appaled.

“How  _ DARE  _ you!” Aiko shouted. “I am the Ultimate Tabletop Roleplayer! THE ULTIMATE! As both player and DM, it is my job to provide the most immersive and engaging experience possible. And providing miniatures, bases, and visual references to homebrew enemies and classes is vital- ** _VITAL _ ** to that process!” Aiko shouted, all while setting up an elaborate painting station, and removing her now paint-covered jacket.

“Ah, I...I see…” Makoto sighed. “I’ll let you get back to work then.”

\---

Kyoko Kirigiri stood in a classroom on the third floor, and she thought. Her brain traveled a mile a minute, searching for a semblance of a memory in the recesses of her addled brain.

The classroom was empty. Dusty, even. Like no one had touched it in years. For all she knew, no one had. Her gloved hand ghosted above the top of the desks, before forming into a fist.

She took a seat at one. Her hand absentmindedly slid inside of the desk. To keep her occupied, if anything. What she had not expected was to touch something. Something...thin, yet smooth, and flat. Her hand closed around the object, sliding it into view.

What she saw was…strange, to say the least. The image consisted of a simple commemorative photo, where Kiriko Nishizawa, dressed in a simple brown uniform, stood between Kotomi Ikuta and Yasuhiro Hagakure. They both wore the same brown uniforms, though Yasuhiro wore his around his shoulders, with a simple tank top underneath. All three had happy grins spread across their faces.

All fact and all logic told Kyoko that this photo was doctored. Edited from security footage and artificially generated by Monokuma, to mess with her head.

But Kyoko’s eyes betrayed her. She knew that the cameras that watched their every move couldn’t get shots like this. Couldn’t zoom in that close to take pictures of smiling faces. To edit these clothes onto them. It wasn’t possible with modern tech.

Kyoko looked down further on the picture. There, inscribed was a small note: “See you next year! ~ XOXO K.N” Kiriko Nishizawa. She had gotten this picture taken. 

Kyoko moved to pocket it, before-

“UH UH UH, MISS KIRIGIRI!!! THAT IS MY OWN PRIVATE PHOTO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!” Monokuma shouted, swiping it from her hands and putting a few desks of distance between them.

Kyoko briefly concerned fighting for the photo, before realizing that wrestling for the picture would constitute her execution. So she stood still.

“Ah. Apologies.” Kyoko spoke through her teeth.

“Of course!!! Wouldn’t want you getting in trouble, Miss Kirigiri!” Monokuma cackled, disappearing.

“...Shit.” 

\---

It looked as much like a science lab as any science lab could, really. Filled to the brim with machines that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie, Makoto felt small compared to the towering steel implements and cranes.

“Sakura, this w-woah…” Hina said, walking inside the science lab with Sakura at her side. “This...sure is a place, huh…”

Sakura walked in next, her astonishment not allowing words.

“Yes, it’s quite extravagant,” another voice added, as Iore rounded a corner, scribbling furiously onto a notepad.

“How long have you been in here?” Makoto asked.

“Long enough! I’ve been doing research.” Iore added, proudly displaying her notes.

“Research?” Sakura tried. “What kind of research?”

“Oh, you know.” Iore nodded. “I’ve been examining the creation dates for the various machines by looking at the records in the back room.” She loosely gestured to a small door labeled ‘Records/Supplies’.

“And…?” Hina added.

“I’ve discovered nothing substantial, but still interesting anecdotes nonetheless.” Iore smiled. “For instance! Did you know, that the large air purifier in the middle of this room—” she pointed to the massive glove shaped machine that stood near the middle of the room, “—was constructed by two former students? The Ultimate Mechanic, Kazuichi Soda, working in tandem with the Ultimate Therapist, Miaya Gekkogahara?”

“How would I know that.” Sakura stated bluntly.

“Well, I found it interesting. I wonder, where did all those students go?” Iore pondered. “Did Monokuma kill them? Displace them? Did they leave of their own free will? Or maybe they are working with Monokuma? I wonder if we will ever truly know.”

“...Comforting.” Hina stated. 

“If anything, it’s even more exciting.” Iore grinned. “I am going to unravel the mystery of Hope’s Peak Academy, even if it kills me.”

\---

Makoto sighed as he walked into the Sauna’s waiting room, plopping down. Two others were situated there, Leon Kuwata and Tsubasa Kamii, as well as Alter Ego’s laptop, which was sitting open, the screen faded, and the small avatar asleep.

Tsubasa was quietly tuning her violin, while Leon seemed half-asleep, hands behind his head.

“Hey, Alter Ego,” Leon asked.

“MMhm? What is it, Mister Kuwata?” Alter Ego asked, her screen blinking on.

“Play Black Sheep by Clash At Demonhead.” Leon stated.

“...I respect you, Mr. Kuwata, but I am not a music player.” Alter Ego responded.

“Sorry. It’s just been...an annoyingly long time since I’ve listened to a good song, y’know?” Leon responded, sighing.

“I believe I can empathize with you.” Tsubasa stated. “There’s very little music here.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing.” Makoto added. “Who knows what Monokuma listens to.”

Leon barked a laugh. “Yeah. But ya can’t help but miss your favorites.”

Makoto and Tsubasa nodded in quiet agreement.

“Well, you could always...play? Music?” Makoto offered.

Leon laughed again. “With what?”

“Well,” Tsubasa started. “You’re a singer. I’m a violinist. And Alter Ego certainly has access to a soundboard, yes?”   
  
“Indeed!” Alter Ego smiled.

“Well, uh, I guess we could do that.” Leon stated, a smile forming on his face.

“I’ll just improvise instrumentals.” Tsubasa stated. “Go ahead and sing.”

Leon coughed, straightening his posture. “ _ Hello, again, friend of a friend, I knew you when,”  _ Tsubasa began playing a dramatic violin piece, and truck the chords harshly, providing a unique sound. “ _ Our common goal was waitin’ for the world to end,”  _ Leon nodded his head and tapped his foot to the beat of Tsubasa’s music, trying to match the tone with his voice.

“ _ Now that, the truth, is just a rule that you can bend!”  _ He sang. Makoto found himself being drawn in by his sultry tones. “ _ You crack the whip, shapeshift and trick the past again,”  _ Before he knew it, Leon was up on his feet, as Alter Ego began matching Tsubasa’s instrumentals with the blips of a bitnote soundboard. 

“ _ Send you my love on a wire!”  _ Leon sang, improvising nerdy dance moves that warmed Makoto’s heart. “ _ Lift you up anytime! Anyone, ooo! Pulls away, ooo, from you!”  _ Alter Ego added a soft drum track as Tsubasa continued her elegant playing.

Leon passionately sang, dramtically posing and whipping his hair around with the beat of Tsubasa’s music. “ _ Got balls of steel, got an automobile, for a minimum wage!”  _ He sat down next to Alter Ego, thumping his hands to the tune of her music. “ _ Got real estate! I’m buyin’ it all up in outer space!”  _ He then got up to the center of the room, standing on the bench in the middle. “ _ Now that the truth is just a rule! That you can bend! You crack the whip shapeshift and trick the past again!”  _ He turned to Makoto and grinned, making Makoto’s heart flutter.

“ _ SEND YOU MY LOVE ON A WIRE!”  _ Leon shout-sang, jumping down from the bench and moving towards Makoto. “ _ LIFT YOU UP, ANYTIME! ANYONE! OOO! PULLS AWAY! OOO-”  _ Leon slung an arm around his shoulders, singing through his grin. “ _ IT’S A MECHANICAL BULL, THE NUMBER ONE, YOU’LL TAKE A RIDE FROM ANYONE! EVERYONE WANTS A RIDE!”  _ He got back to his feet and returned to the bench, still singing. “ _ PULLS AWAY, OOO, FROM YOU!”  _ He posed dramatically as both Tsubasa and Alter Ego got the hint to stop playing.

“Woah…” Makoto grinned, wondering if his eyes were sparkling.

“Heh, sorry, that was...really embaras-” Makoto cut him off with a kiss. “Ah.”

Makoto, realizing they were not alone, responding in kind. “Ah.”

“Ah.” Tsubasa said.

“Ah.” Alter Ego said.

“So, don’t...like, tell anyone.  _ Especially  _ Iore.” Leon groaned.

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATHER!!!!!!!**

***looks down, says in a quiet voice* Hey um, anyone else think that we, the straight people, are getting smaller and smaller in numbers? I mean... I'm not against any other sexuality but...I just feel like *we* are getting attacked now...what I mean is, some homophobes just don't like it, and gay people can't seem to respect that. We respect u, now it's ur turn to respect us. *runs away and hides because the online world is a scary place anyway***

\---

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Attention Attention!! All students of Hope’s Peak Academy! It is now 7 AM, which marks the end of nighttime!! Time to rise and shine, my glorious pupils, for a wonderful learning filled day at the luxurious Hope’s Peak Academy!!” _

“Yeah, yeah.” Makoto spat as he got up. He slinked into the bathroom, throwing on some clothes before departing towards the dining room. He absentmindedly fixing his hair, and was about to sit down when his vision was assaulted with Pink.

His foot squished into a viscous substance that coated the linoleum floor. He looked down, his fears confirmed when he saw blood. His eyes were quick to shoot around the surroundings, finding clear signs of a struggle. Dust, slashes, something happened. A fight, a murder, but there was no body. Where would a body be?

“Oh hey, Makoto you’re already-AH!” Toko’s voice screamed, as she dashed behind Makoto.

  
“T-Toko?! What’s going on?” Makoto asked.

“B-B-B-BLOOD! FUCKING HATE THE STUFF!” Toko screamed.

“I heard screaming, what’s going on?!” Kyoko shouted, busting through the door. “Ah. That explains it.”

She put a hand on her chin, walking over to Makoto and Toko. “This is...disconcerting.”

“We should get everybody in one place, keep them accounted for!” Makoto insisted.

“G-Good plan! I’ll go get-” Toko was cut short by a cry of pain from upstairs.

“What was that?” Kyoko insisted. 

“Well I’m not sticking around here to find out!” Toko shouted, grabbing Kyoko and Makoto’s hands and started off towards the stairs.

\---

“Toko, where are we even going,” Kyoko started, as she struggled to keep up with the Romance Novelist.

“I don’t know where! Murder scene, someone probably died!” Toko hurriedly shouted, as she rounded the third floor stairs.

“But! Toko my wrist is starting to cramp!” Makoto insisted.

“Tough shit, we just need to-!” Toko shouted, before colliding straight on with Junko Enoshima.

“What are you guys doing?! It’s like. 6 AM.” Junko stated. “Way too early for a work-out.”

“Ugh, we heard a scream.” Toko stated.

“A scream? Well, I didn’t hear anything. I’ve been in the game room, playin’ darts with Sayaka.” Junko responded.

“Well, that definitely complicates things.” Kyoko added.

“Well, great, I guess. We’ll keep looking around.” Toko stated, moving past Junko and starting off down the hallway. She didn’t have to move for too long before she stopped dead in her tracks. “Shit.”

Makoto moved fast to keep up with her, turning the corner and spying a thick trail of blood that coated the hallway.

“What the fuck…” Junko gasped, hand over her mouth.

“Doesn’t exactly assuage my worries.” Kyoko sighed.

“I’m gonna puke…” Toko said, before taking one of her braids and ticking her nose, sneezing. Toko then fell all the way back, before standing back up.

“Ah! Hello, everyone.” Hanako smiled. “Quite the predicament we’re in, yes…?” She said, fixing her hair into her side ponytail over her left shoulder.

“Hey, Hanako. We should keep moving.” Kyoko insisted.

“Couldn’t agree more. We must guarantee everyone’s safety.” Hanako confirmed, starting down the hallway with the other three in tow.

\---

Kyoko opened the door to the Game Room, to see a...worrying sight.

“Oh, hello.” Sayaka panted, holding an arm worriedly. She currently sat in the middle of the game room, surrounded by garbage.

“Jesus fuck, what happened here?!” Junko protested.

“Oh, you know. The usual. A bow and arrow flying through the Game Room window and nearly hitting me, followed by a crossbow bolt that grazed my arm! Normal and fun!” Sayaka grumbled.

“I’ll stay with her. I know how to patch up wounds.” Junko stated.

“You...do?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah??? Don’t worry about it. Go on ahead.” Junko waved.

“Yes, she’s right. We need to find where that scream came from.” Kyoko insisted. “We’ll report back if we find anything.” Junko and Sayaka both nodded, as Kyoko, Hanako and Makoto continued to follow the blood trail.

\---

Upon entering the science lab, the first thing he saw was the blood.

He could barely tell the floor had once been white, from the neon pink stains of blood covering all thaat he could see.

“What...caused this?” Hanako whispered solemnly. “Surely this is more blood than a human being even  _ has _ .”

Makoto stayed silent. He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to consider the fact that another body was waiting for them.

Kyoko started walking into the room further, flanked by Makoto and Hanako on both sides.

“Well...nothing seems out of the ordinary.” Kyoko whispered. “We should get the others-”

_ Drip. _

_ Drip. _

“What was that?” Makoto asked, his eyes looking around frantically.

_ Drip. _

_ Drip. _

“That noise…” Hanako whispered.

_ Drip. _

_ Drip. _

Makoto felt something cold and wet drip onto his head, down his bangs, and onto his face. “What the…” He turned to the girls, terror painted onto his features.

Kyoko wiped it off his nose with a glvoed finger, and rubbed it between her forefinger and her thumb. “...Blood.” She whispered.

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. _

Makoto looked up, his eyes widened with horror and pain.

_ Drip. _

There, nailed to the wall from various arrows and sharp weapons,

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. _

Face etched with hurt and sadness,

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. _

Hung the lifeless corpse of Kiyotaka Ishimaru, The Ultimate Hall Monitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo that took awhile to get out! i hope you like this chapter!  
also, i've been working on getting drawn references (done by tracing Danganronpa sprites then drawing new outfits over them) of the characters for this au! if y'all would like to see that, lmk!!


	7. Proverbs 16:28-DEADLY LIFE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey.....hey...how yall doin....
> 
> so sorry this chapter took too long!!! my dumb idiot brain decided that I shouldn't work on it and i hyperfixated on persona for awhile. (read invitation to freedom) as a thanks for sticking around, here's some colored references for everyone's redesigns! https://imgur.com/a/BavMmfa
> 
> hope you enjoy!!!

_ “OOPSY DAISY! A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!” _

Makoto Naegi couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. He didn’t dare to. His eyes were locked, forever affixed to the ceiling. To Kiyotaka Ishimaru.

_ “As someone has been found dead, the investigation period will now begin! All remaining students will be allowed  _ ** _3 hours _ ** _ to gather evidence before the Class Trial will begin! Good luck and always remember to have fun, my darling students!” _

His body was punctured, practically nailed to the ceiling by numerous pikes and spears. Like some twisted voodoo doll.

“Fuck.” Kyoko hissed under her breath. “God  _ dammit. _ ”

“No...not again…” Hanako whispered, her voice about to descend into sobs.

Makoto forced himself to look away, but then he just saw more blood. So much blood. Too much blood. He directed his eyes at Kyoko.

Kyoko returned his gaze. She nodded. He stared into Kyoko’s purple pupils, his own gaze saddened and despairful. Kyoko’s eyes told him to stay strong. They’ll get through this.

“WHAT’S GOING ON?!” Junko shouted, storming into the room with a bandaged Sayaka at her side. “What happ-” Junko’s words dissolved into screaming as she saw Kiyotaka’s body. 

“Oh god…” Sayaka gasped, gripping onto Junko for dear life, comforting her but hiding her eyes into Junko’s sleeve.

“What’s all the yelling about?” Hina shouted, throwing the door open. “What-Taka?!”

“Taka?!” Aiko echoed, walking in and screaming at the sight.

“Disgusting…” Celeste muttered, trotting in and standing between Makoto and Kyoko. “Absolutely...disgusting…”

Sakura didn’t say anything. She just stared, teeth grit in anger.

The other students came next, trickling in and all having appropriately horrified reactions. Some angry, some scared, some disgusted. All of them quiet.

“Ah! I LOVE the smell of a fresh murder in the morning!! Puhuhuhu~” Monokuma chuckled, popping out from behind a shelf. “How are you all doing, my darling students?!”

No one talked.

“Wow, rude! Giving your ADORABLE teacher the cold shoulder?! Oh how you wound me….” Monokuma grumbled. “Well, if you wanna get on with it that bad...I present to you….THE MONOKUMA FILE!!!” Monokuma whipped out the familiar folder. “Who wants to read this baby??”

“Give it to me.” Celeste’s accented voice spat, holding a hand out to take the folder.

“Ah, there we are! Godspeed, Ms. Ludenberg!” Monokuma applauded, as Celeste glared daggers at the bear.

“Victim: Kiyotaka Ishimaru”

“Height: 5’7”.”

“Weight: 146.8lb”

“Time of Death: 5:38 AM”

“Body Discovered by Makoto Naegi”

“Body Discovery Location: Science Lab”

“Well done Ms. Ludenberg!!! As the Monokuma file has been read, and a body has been discovered, then we can happily get on with the investigation period!!! Puhuhuhu, have a nice trauma, everyone!!!” Monokuma giggled, disappearing.

“Alright.” Kyoko sighed. “We need to comb the third floor. Makoto and Celeste, I want you to comb the science lab. Get Kiyotaka down and start searching him, got it?”

Makoto nodded.

“Of course.” Celeste stated, grandeur oozing from each syllable.

“Next,” Kyoko continued. “Me and Leon will examine the classrooms for any evidence.”

“Really? You want me?” Leon asked, confused.

“Of course. I invited you, didn’t I?” Kyoko responded.

“Right, yeah.” Leon shrugged, scratching his neck.

“Chihiro, Sayaka and Aiko, go to the game room and look for clues.”

“Right. Maybe then we can try to see if this connects to the person who attacked me!” Sayaka responded.

“Iore, Sakura, Tsubasa, search the hallways and the dorm area. Look for evidence that suggests the killer’s course of action.”

“On it.” Sakura stated.

“I’ll do my best.” Tsubasa affirmed.

“Of course.” Iore added, grinning.

“Everyone else, meaning Hina, Hanako and Mondo will-” Kyoko searched the students. “...Where’s Mondo?”

“He’s...not here…?” Makoto questioned, craning his neck to find the Biker.

“I can’t see him among us.” All 6 feet and eight inches of Sakura Oogami confirmed.

“That’s..rather troubling, isn’t it…” Sayaka sighed.

“This isn’t an issue. Hina and Hanako will just go to his dorm room and check for him.” Kyoko stated. “It’s too early to jump to conclusions.”

“It’s never too early to jump to conclusions!” Iore responded. “Mondo’s probably already dead.”

“Don’t start.” Junko hissed. “I do NOT need your ass mouthing off bullshit today.”

“Cry me a river, Junko!” Iore protested. “This is life and death! Making our convictions clear is vital to survival-”

“Be quiet.” Kyoko hissed. “Any questions?”

  
“Kyoko, going back down the stairs might be an issue for me…” Hina protested.

“Why’s that?” Kyoko asked, head cocked.

“Well uh…”

“Hina got attacked on our way up here.” Sakura stated.

“W-What?!” Makoto asked. “You were attacked?!”

“What happened?” Hanako worriedly fretted.

“Well, there was this masked dude. He came at me with something, and scratched up my leg.” Asahina stated. “It’s no big deal though!”

“It’s a big deal if there’s some kind of SERIAL KILLER running around!!!” Aiko shouted. “Oh GOD I’m gonna DIE! I cast Arcane Shield on my hoodie! Zone of keep the fuck away from me!”

“A-A masked killer? This is too crazy…” Tsubasa sighed, gripping her hair.

“Someone….wouldn’t….do that….right?” Chihiro whispered.

“Calm down-” Celeste started.

“Shit, and Sayaka was attacked too…” Junko whispered. “There really is someone running around!”

“I didn’t see anyone in a stupid mask, though!” Sayaka protested.

“This doesn’t change anything.” Kyoko affirmed. “We just need to be more cautious. Stay in groups, and don’t wander too far from your designated areas. Watch your back. Got it?”

A murmur of agreement.

“Good. We’re on a timer, people. Do not accuse anyone of being the masked figure until we have evidence.” She threw a glare at Iore. Iore winked in response. “...Good luck, everyone.”

\---

Once everyone was gone, Celeste and Makoto were left in the lab.

“Well. I guess we must get to work.” Celeste sighed.

“Right…” Makoto sighed. “What do we do first?”

“Well,” Celeste mumbled grimly. “We need to get Kiyotaka’s body down from the ceiling.”

“...right.” Makoto sighed, sadly nodding. “We could...try crawling on top of the air purifier? Prying him off?”

“Absolutely not.” Celeste responded. “Yes, you’ll reach him, but either one of us will fall off the sphere and die on impact.”

“R-Right..sorry, that was a dumb idea.”

“It’s fine. Perhaps we go to the supply room? Try to find a ladder?” Celeste tried.

“Right, we’ll go there.”

\---

Leon Kuwata sighed, leaning against the blackboard of a classroom. He watched Kyoko Kirigiri systematically tearing apart the desks. “So uh. How’s it going.”

“Hmm.” Kyoko stated.

Leon exhaled. “You know Makoto?”

“Yes, I know of him. We need to stay focused.” Kyoko scoffed. “The investigation is what’s important.”

“I  _ am  _ focused. I’m just...worried. About Makoto. About all of us. Ya feel?” Leon tried, before he didn’t receive a response from Kyoko. “Besides, if I were to talk about Celestia you’d LEAP at the opportunity-”

Kyoko blushed profusely. “Quiet…”

“That got you talkin’, huh?”

“She is my rival. Someone has to keep her in check.” Kyoko responded.

Leon rolled his eyes. The investigation was important, but he has more questions. “What about...everyone else? Why us? Why does Monokuma, the Mastermind, whatever, why is he doing this to us? There are...hundreds, thousands maybe of ultimates. Why us 19?”

Kyoko thought for a long second. "We were meant to be classmates, yes? I suspect whoever is behind this simply...chose from our class."

Leon turns to her. "Classrooms have 20 students, Kyoko."

Kyoko thinks, staying silent as she got lost in thought. "Well, maybe we have a classmate we haven't met yet."

Leon opened his mouth to speak: “W-”

_ DING DONG BING BONG _

_ BING BONG DING DONG _

_ "Wh-ha-haAAAAAA TTTT???? A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!!!!!" _

“Shit.” Kyoko cursed under her breath.

“FUCK” Leon cursed above his breath.

\---

Chihiro Fujisaki wanted to cry. Her tears welled up. Her sweater suddenly felt way too hot. Her hair felt all too present. She could feel every part of her body and she hated it.

In front of her, stuffed into the metal locker in the back corner of the Game Room, was the emotionless, unmoving corpse of Mondo Oowada, The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, his head dripping with blood.

“Mondo…” Sayaka gasped, hands over her mouth. “So, he really was killed…”

“Goddamnit,” Aiko sobbed, cinching her hoodie around her face. “God...fuck,”

“What’s even going to happen? Two murders haven't happened yet, there isn’t a plan in place, is there? How is this trial even going to work?” Sayaka questioned, her mind flying a mile a minute.

Aiko quietly sobbed into her sleeve.

Chihiro looked at Mondo. She looked at Mondo and she stifled a cry. Mondo is-was, rather- a strong guy. He was a tough guy. Someone who presumably, wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Why did someone like mondo have to die? Someone strong, someone brave, when Chihiro got to live? It didn't seem fair.

None of this was fair.

Soon, the other students gathered in the room, all crowding around Chihiro, gasping and crying and shouting over the corpse.

“Mondo…” Makoto cried.

“We’re done for. Two murders? How do we work around two murders?” Sakura paced.

"THIS IS SUCH BULLSHIT!” Leon roared, stomping and grasping at his hair.

“Hmmm???? What’s bullshit, Mr. Kuwata???” Monokuma chirped, lounging on top of a shelf. “There ain't any cows here! And just because I'm black and white doesn't mean I look like a cow!! I'm a bear, Mr. Kuwata! How rude!”

“Go fuck yourself,” Leon hissed.

“Monokuma!” Celeste spat. “What in the hell does a DOUBLE MURDER entail?! T-Two people are dead, how will this trial work?!”

“Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelax, Ms. Ludenberg!! I’ll lay it all out for you!” Monokuma whirred. "For the sake of this investigation, I will be extending your investigation period by 2 hours!!!"

"Thank god." Makoto breathed a sigh of relief.

"But, also for the sake of this investigation, we will only be executing ONE blackened!"

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted back in unison.

"Come on, you all!” Monokuma huffed. “Mr. Monokuma isn't MADE of money! Sure, we're government funded, but that doesn't mean I ain't got a budget! Can't go pulling those big beefy executions out of my ass! Geez louise!" Monokuma dramatically gestured as much as he could, considering he’s a tiny plushie. 

“We’re gonna need more details than that!” Hina shouted.

“Right, right, calm yourselves!” Monokuma waved. “The trial will still continue as planned, but in the end, every student will only vote for and accuse ONE killer! It doesn’t matter whom that killer killed, as long as they were the blackened!”

“So...if there are two blackened, as long as one of the guilty parties is voted for, then we’ll all be safe?” Hanako said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Correct-a-mundo! If you guess right, the other blackened will NOT be allowed to leave, though! They must continue participating in the killing game! Puhuhuhu!” Monokuma chuckled.

“What happens if we vote, and we pick wrong completely?” Iore asked.

“Well, then I’ll execute EVVVVVVERYBODY! Aside from the two blackened, of course!” Monokuma whirred.

Chihiro was immobile. She didn’t want to listen. She couldn’t.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, I shall now presenttttttttttttttttttttttt….” Monokuma paused for a drum roll, and when he didn’t receive one, coughed and continued. “THE MONOKUMA FILE!!! Wow, I get to say that twice in one day!!! Super duper! Now, who wants to read this b-”

Chihiro swiped it from the bear.

  
“Wow!!! Feeling bold, are we Ms. Fujisaki??” Monokuma responded. Chihiro ignored him and opened the file up.

“Victim: Mondo Oowada”

“Height: 5’7”.”

“Weight: 180.9lb”

“Time of Death: 7:20 AM”

“Body Discovered by Chihiro Fujisaki”

“Body Discovery Location: Game Room”

“Pleasure doin’ business with ya!!! See you at the trial!!” Monokuma grinned, taking his leave.

Chihiro wanted to rip the file in half.

“I’m...sorry.” Sakura stated.

“Why are you sorry?” Hina asked, incredulous.

“I feel like...I could’ve  _ done  _ something. That I could’ve...helped. I don’t know. Stopped this.” She mumbled, leaning down to hug Hina, softly crying into her hair.

“We can’t blame ourselves.” Makoto assured the group. “All that comes of that is self-hatred and doubt. And we can’t let that get to us now, right?” He tried, placing a hand on Sakura’s shoulder. She nodded.

“I agree with all of that,” Kyoko started. “But we are on the clock.”

“R-Right.” Chihiro mumbled, rising to her feet. “What now?”

“I think we stick with our current plan.” Kyoko started. “But we need to place a heavier focus on the crime scenes. Search for evidence we can connect. Anyone who wasn't specifically assigned a room should redirect their attention to the crime scenes.”

“Let’s get to work then!” Hanako half heartedly cheered, as the students began to disperse. Once the crowd had gone, the only people left in the Game Room were Chihiro, Leon and Kyoko.

“Leon, Kyoko, can you help me get Mondo out of the locker?” Chihiro inquired, rising to her feet and moving towards the locker. Soon enough, Leon and Kyoko flanked her, struggling to pull the bloody body of Mondo out of the cramped locker. After a few minutes of struggling, with a weak  _ pop  _ Mondo fell onto the floor in a crumpled pile.

“Great, now we can-what’s that?” Leon asked, pointing a finger at a white note folded up on Mondo’s back.

Kyoko grabbed it, and unfolded the paper. She read aloud:   
  
“The Crazy Diamond has met his end. I guess not all coal can join the rich. - The Queen of Liars"

“Am I going fucking insane,” Leon said through gritted teeth.

“Hush!” Chihiro insisted. “What does it...mean by Queen of Liars?” Chihiro asked.

“How the fuck should Kyoko know?!” Leon shot back.

“Let her talk!” Chihiro fired back.

“KYOKO DOESN’T KNOW DUDE!” Leon shouted.

“Shut up!!!” Chihiro protested.

“Be quiet, god,” Kyoko interrupted. “The Queen of Liars is probably the masked killer.” Chihiro and Leon shut up at that, feeling pretty stupid now.

\---

Makoto never realized how much he HATED heights. His stomach dropped with every small step he took up the ladder, moving slowly closer to Kiyotaka’s body on the ceiling. 

Makoto made a whining noise in the back of his throat as he took another step upwards.

“Are you doing okay, Makoto?” Sakura asked, her firm hands keeping the ladder in place.

Makoto made a noise similar to a cat choking up a hairball.

“Leave the poor man alone,” Celeste said. “We all have enough on our minds in the first place.” Her heels clacked against the floor as she paced, worry seeping through her speech.

“You know, you  _ could  _ be holding the ladder like you promised.” Sakura noted, though Celeste waved her off.

“You’re more than enough to stop Makoto ‘built like a beanpole made of paper’ Naegi from falling.” Celeste joked.

“H-Hey!” Makoto responded. “I mean, I-I know, but hey!”

“How are you doing up there, Makoto?” Sakura said, trying desperately to get back on track.

“Right…” Makoto trailed off, taking the final step upwards. “I can reach him now!” Makoto shouted downward. “Or...I guess I can reach the pikes.”

“How do you want to go about this?” Celeste inquired.

“Makoto, take the pikes out one by one! You don’t want the whole thing collapsing on top of you!” Sakura shouted up at Makoto.

He nodded in response, gently removing one of the sharpened wooden pikes from Kiyotaka’s corpse. It was surprisingly light, less heavy than he had expected. Perhaps it was hollow. The blood that soaked and colored the wooden head of the weapon was sickening. Almost as bad as the...hole in the body where Makoto had removed the weapon from.

It may have taken him a while, but in the end, they had a pile of wooden pikes, and one...mangled corpse.

Celeste moved closer, crouching to examine what was left of Taka. “The entrance wounds are all in his torso…” Celeste noted. “It’s like the killer didn’t even bother stabbing his arms or legs.”

“There isn’t even any evidence of injury aside from the torso.” Sakura added.

“It’s hard to tell with all the bloodstains…” Makoto trailed off, giving himself a moment to collect his thoughts. “But, you’re right, Celeste.”

“Kiyotaka and I worked out together sometimes.” Sakura added. “He was incredibly dedicated to his physical performance, above all else. It’d be very hard to kill him, regardless of method.”

“Who in the school could even do it, then?” Makoto pondered.

“Well,” Celeste began. “Sakura’s strength is immeasurable, but she’s strongly against murder. Perhaps Mondo, but, judging by his body discovery and their...relationship, I doubt it was a post-mortem crime of passion.”

“She’s talking in dramatic prose again,” Makoto started, though Sakura just made a shushing sound, barely concealing laughter.

“We can’t really rule out anyone. Chihiro and Sayaka, maybe, but then again, we don’t have a motive for anyone.” Celeste continued.

“Didn’t Kyoko tell us not to jump to conclusions?” Sakura sniffed, smirking.

Celeste looked between both of them, then sighed deeply. “Apologies. I suppose I  _ was  _ getting off-track.”

“It’s okay. But...where does this leave us?” Makoto asked no one in specific.

“This experiment is inconclusive.” Sakura stated. “Let’s check the hallway, maybe there’s a sign of a struggle. That’s where the blood trail is, anyway.”

“Right.” Makoto nodded.

\---

Kyoko Kirigiri slowly pulled an arrow out of the Game Room wall, trying not to get any of the metal embedded into the school wall, as if she actually cared about Monokuma’s down payment.

“Kyoko, please be careful with those…” Chihiro said. “They could be thorned, or poisonous!”

“Come on, dude, Kyoko probably knows how to spot poison, right Kyoko?” Leon asked, leaning against the pool table confidentally.

  
“I have no idea how to identify toxins, Leon.” Kyoko deadpanned, still fiddling with the arrow.

Leon grumbled, defeated, while Chihiro giggled behind him.

“Hmmm…” Chihiro mumbled, once silence had fallen upon the room again.

“What’s on your mind?” Leon asked.

“Kyoko, isn’t there a notch on the arrow you’re inspecting?” Chihiro asked, voice tentative.

Kyoko raised her eyebrows. “Really? Where?”

Chihiro rose to her feet, pointing to a spot on the arrow. Indeed, a strange part of the shaft stuck out.

“Strange.” Kyoko noted, her gloved hand fiddling with it.

“Try turnin’ it.” Leon added. Kyoko managed to get the small splinter between her fingers, and sure enough, a small piece of paper rolled out.

Kyoko quickly discarded the arrow, rolling the strip of paper out to it’s full length. “Leaving someone as valuable as Sayaka Maizono out in the open is a risk you shan't take again. - The Queen of Liars." Kyoko read flatly.

“Oh FUCK ME RUNNING” Leon shouted.

Kyoko balled it up. “Come on. We should go.”

Chihiro made a gasp of confusion. “How so?”

“We’re on the clock, and I need to corroborate something.” Kyoko explained. That was apparently enough for Chihiro and Leon, who dutifully followed her out of the game room and into the hallway.

She turned a corner, coming face to face with Asahina, Sakura, Makoto and Celeste, all searching the hallway for anything they might have missed.

“Oh!” Hina smiled. “What are you guys up to?”

“Where were you attacked, Hina?” Kyoko asked, leaning on one foot.

“Hm? Where was I attacked?” Hina pondered for a moment. “The second floor staircase, I think.” She shot a finger down towards the descending staircase.

Kyoko mumbled a thank you out and practically sprinted down to the staircase, skidding to a stop above the linoleum staircase.

“Kyoko, what’re you d-doing?” Chihiro asked, following behind her.

Kyoko didn’t respond, she just combed the staircase, eyes and gloves finding a small scrap of paper attached to the wall. Kyoko removed it, bringing it close to her face.

“What the, what did you find?” Leon asked,descending the stairs to meet Kyoko with Chihiro and the others from the hallway in tow.

“Another note…?” Chihiro asked, arms crossed in front of her chest.

“Oh goddamnit.” Leon spat. “Not another one! I feel like a victorian maiden being threatened by a dangerous suitor right now.”

"Traveling alone is dangerous. The Flower will not always save you. -The Queen of Liars."

“The flower…?” Hina asked. “Wait, does this...queen mean Sakura?”

“Makes sense. This was where you were attacked, so they must mean me.” Sakura added.

“The...Queen of Liars?” Makoto said, eyes flitting around the crowd in confusion and worry.

“Hm.” Celeste said, concern covering what little she said.

.”We should split up again. Go check out other areas.” Makoto said. “Use this and check the crime scenes.”

They all agreed, nods of affirmation and agreement filling the room.

\---

Celeste bent over Kiyotaka’s corpse, eyes squinted, and brow furrowed. “Hmm.”

“What is it?” Aiko asked, lying down on a counter.

“The wounds are erratic. Maybe spur of the moment.” Celeste started. “Though, it’d be strange for such an elaborate method to be done on the spot.”

“Well, sometimes flashy spells just happen!” Aiko added. “Emotions bottle up and BANG! Fire spiral firework!” She giggled.

“Thank you, Aiko, for that.” Celeste stated.

“That’s a compliment,” Aiko started. “But, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe the gigantic stab wounds weren’t the cause of death?”

“How do you mean?” Tsubasa asked, who had been pacing around the blood pool the whole time.

“Maybe it’s a cover? Meant to be obvious to hide some hidden method?” Aiko tried.

“True…” Tsubasa whispered under her breath. “Celeste, could you flip him over?” 

“I’ll need Aiko’s assistance, but yes.” Celeste began, hands curling under taka’s arms. Aiko hopped off her perch, putting all of her strength into flipping Taka over.

Tsubasa came to their sides, eyes blowing wide at Taka. Or more specifically, the large wound on his back.

“What...is it?” Aiko asked. “The entrance wound looks...weird…”

“It’s curved, almost?” Celeste started. “But...direct?”

“It’s corkscrewed.” Tsubasa gasped. “Like one you’d find on a screwdriver.”

“Really?” Aiko tried. “How do you know?”   
  


“Violin repair is hard work.” Tsubasa huffed.

\---

Kyoko placed Mondo’s head back onto the floor. “His skull isn’t shattered, but it’s been caved in. Implying extreme force. The perpetrator must’ve been strong.”

“Do not tell me that only one with muscle could’ve done this.” Makoto pouted. “Remember what happened with Kiriko?”

“Yes, I apologize.” Kyoko huffed. “Though, I do admit, Mondo would be very difficult to subdue.”

“Well,” Junko Enoshima started. “The element of surprise is useful, and knocking him out then killing him while unconcious isn’t a bad strategy.” She leaned against the counter, examining her nails. “I saw some chloroform in the warehouse. Maybe a quick stab to the heart?”

Kyoko dutifully noted that down, though Makoto seemed perturbed about Junko’s knowledge of murder methods. Kyoko returned to examining Mondo’s corpse. She moved her gaze down his body, landing on his left arm. “His arm is broken.” Kyoko explained.

“Wait, really?” Makoto asked. “What could’ve done that?” Kyoko moved his arm, only to drop it once she realized that  _ yep, arms shouldn’t bend like that _ . 

“Maybe Mondo was already killed beforehand?” Junko asked. “Stuffed in here so we’d find him on time?”

“The Monokuma File says otherwise,” Makoto began. “He was killed after Kiyotaka, just this morning.”

“Fuck, you’re right…” Junko began.

“Sorry to cut this off but we have a whole trial to discuss this.” Kyoko explained. “We’re on the clock right now.”

\---

"When law and justice has abandoned these halls, what will happen to you? - The Queen of Liars." Celeste read aloud from the note she had just plucked out of Kiyotaka’s back wound. 

“Y-YOU KILLED HIM!” Aiko blurted out, jabbing a finger at Celeste, now mortified. “YOU’RE ALL DRAMATIC AND S-POOKY AND...AND YOU KILLED HIM!”

“Aiko, you’re being unreasonable-”

  
“S-SHUT UP! I ROLL FOR PERCEPTION!” Aiko shouted, whipping out a d20 and rolling a 17. “HA! Celeste is totally the prime suspect! SHE DID IT!”

“Ha!” Celeste began. "Well, any of us could have done it! Give me a reason to not believe that you're the mastermind, Aiko? Don't you write stories for a living? Roleplay? Any of us could be the killer! Simply casting baseless judgement because you need a scapegoat is childish at best and pitiful at worst! Especially coming from y-"

_ DING DONG BING BONG _

_ BING BONG DING DONG _

_ "Ahem, ahem! Sorry kiddos, but tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmeeeeeee's up!!!!! The investigation period has ended! Please report to the symbol of strength to begin our thrilling, chilling, KILLING class trials! See you there!!!!" _

_ DING DONG BING BONG _

_ BING BONG DING DONG _

_ \--- _

13 students. 13. Makoto was one of 13 students who stood in front of the bear statue. That  _ goddamn  _ bear statue. There used to be 19 of them. Now, there was only 13. 13. 13.

“I am SO totally excited to see you all!!!!!” Monokuma grinned, though he didn’t really have any other emotion. “You guys excited for our GLORIOUS Class Trial!”

“Go fuck yourself!” Someone shouted.

“Love the attitude!” Monokuma cheered, before unveiling the elevator that marked death for another student. “Pile in kiddos! We’ll have you guys down there lickety split!”

Doing as told, Makoto and the other students marched into the elevator, none of them daring to move. 

Makoto’s eyes fixed straight to the floor. He thought about many things. But most importantly, he thought about lies. Lies, and deceit. People lied so very often, but now, someone who claimed to be the best liar in the world was terrorizing them. Someone that could be Celeste.

Makoto didn’t like lying.

\---

“Places, places everyone!” Monokuma ushered. “I simply can’t WAIT to get started!” Makoto dutifully took his place at the first podium, glaring at Monokuma to get it over with.

“Alrighty! Cram your ear holes WIIIIIIDE open and listen to Mr. Monokuma’s rule break down! SO WHAT if you’ve heard this before? Doesn’t everyone say that you notice all the easter eggs in the 3rd watchthrough???” Monokuma began, cackling all the way. “Anyway, today is kinda special, since we have TWO victims! Today you guys will be debating who killed Kiyotaka Ishimaru and Mondo Oowada! But, I will only be executing ONE blackened! So, as long as you guys vote for someone who killed someone, they’ll get executed! This might mean you’ll be walking around with an extra blackened for awhile, so get ready! If you figure out whodunnit, and picked out the Blackened who disrupted the peace, they will be executed for their crime! But if you pick the wrong one…..I’ll execute everyone BESIDES the Blackened, who will be allowed to claim their prize, freedom from my glorious Killing Game, and graduation from the academy!” He cackled. “With the boring stuff out of the way, ALL RISE FOR THE CLASS TRIAL!” He banged his gavel on the chair next to him, laughing as the students began.

“C-CELESTE DID IT!” Aiko shouted.

“Oh, not this shit again!” Celeste protested.

“We can’t get ahead of ourselves AGAIN!” Makoto shouted. “Alibis first.”

“Makoto’s got a point,” Junko started. “But we shouldn’t talk about any suspects until we all said our alibis, right?”

“Right. Makoto?” Kyoko nodded towards him, signalling him to start presenting motives.

Makoto sighed deeply. “For which victim?” He asks. “We have two to cover now.”

“Let’s start with Taka.” Sakura said, her voice solemnly. “He went first, so it only seems fair.”

“Right.” Makoto Naegi, at podium #1 cleared his throat. “I was just getting up. Kyoko and Toko were both there. You can vouch for that, right Hanako?” Makoto asked, Hanako nodding.

“I was still sleepin’.” Leon Kuwata, at podium #2 stated.

“I was with Junko in the game room.” Sayaka Maizono, the girl standing at podium #3 explained.

“I was in the sauna.” Chihiro Fujisaki, at podium #4 spoke.

“Huh??? Miss Fujisaki, pardon my manners, but why on earth would you need a good steam that early in the morning?!” Monokuma asked, incredulous.

“Sometimes I just like to take a bath in the morning.” Chihiro stated, though everyone else understood. 

“Hmmmmmm...okay!” Monokuma settled. “Continue with the trial!” Monokuma chattered.

Byakuya Togami could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Byakuya Togami was dead, and Podium #5 was empty.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Kiyotaka Ishimaru was dead, and Podium #6 was empty.

“I was asleep.” Celestia Ludenberg, Podium #7, explained. “Beauty rest, and all that.”

“I was up early, getting breakfast!” Iore Kitabayashi, Podium #8 cheered. 

Yasuhiro Hagakure could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Yasuhiro Hagakure was dead, and Podium #9 was empty.

Kiriko Nishizawa could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Kiriko Nishizawa was dead, and Podium #10 was empty.

“Makoto woke me up, as both he and Hanako can attest to, though Toko was fronting at the time.” Kyoko stated from Podium #11.

“I was in the warehouse. Me and Hina were looking for new training equipment, so we thought there might be a punching bag.” Sakura, Podium #12, stated.

“I was still asleep, I believe.” Tsubasa said, from Podium #13.

“I was in the game room with Sayaka.” Junko mumbled from Podium #14.

“Well, I was with Makoto and Kyoko, rather, Toko was, but we share an alibi, I suppose.” Hanako explained at Podium #15.

Mondo Oowada could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Mondo Oowada was dead, and Podium #16 was empty.

  
“I was also in the warehouse, like Sakura said.” Hina said, keeping her voice low from Podium #17.

“I was asleep.” Aiko stated. “I’m surprised my instincts didn’t jolt me awake…” She pouted, leaning against Podium #18.

Kotomi Ikuta could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Kotomi Ikuta was dead, and Podium #19 was empty.

“And that’s all of them.” Makoto said. “Now we can-”

“CELESTE DID IT! SHE’S THE KILLER!” Aiko stammered, jabbing a finger at the Gambler.

“Ha! I’m not an idiot, Umesawa. If I was going to orchestrate a murder of this scope, I wouldn’t be as clumsy!” Celeste spat, laughing in a dignified manner.

“Shut up, Celeste.” Kyoko snapped. “You shouldn’t have to defend yourself if you didn’t kill Mondo and Taka, right?”

“Of course. I’m as innocent as they come.” Celeste smiled her usual porcelain smile, though her eyes remained on Aiko. “Can a woman not defend herself, Kyoko?”

“Well,” Makoto started, immediately regretting it when everyone’s eyes flocked to him. “Y-You did tell me that in gambling rings, they called you the ‘Queen of Liars’. You know, the name on those notes we found at the crime scenes.”

Celete’s face took a journey. Fear, anger, recognition, before returning to her normal, simple smile. Then she laughed in his face. “Come on Makoto! I wouldn’t SIGN MY NAME on the notes! I’m not a  _ complete  _ idiot! All that would do is give me a one way ticket to the execution block.”

“I agree with Celeste.” Sayaka said. “I don’t think she would do something like this. Besides, she’s not the only suspect. Junko, Iore, Sakura, Hina, and myself were also out and about during the time of death.”

“What the fuck, Sayaka?!” Junko shouted.

“We both know you didn’t do it. It’d be more suspicious if I left both of us off the suspect list as well.” Sayaka explained. “Though, I am sorry for bringing it up.”

“It’s fine.” Hina sighed, clearly tired of these trials.

“I didn’t do it, but I respect you for your including yourself. What’s important is we discover the blackened.” Sakura nodded.

“Oh, I don’t care at all!” Iore grinned.

“UGH! ENOUGH MUSHY MUSHY FEELINGS! GET BACK TO THE DRAMA!” Monokuma shouted.

“Exactly! Which is why I’d like to direct our attention back to Celeste.” Iore smiled. “Let’s go over the evidence.” She motioned in the air, miming the murderer stringing up Kiyotaka as she spoke. “The killer had to elaborately get Kiyotaka up that high, then stab him in there with something, far enough to keep him suspended.” She shifted to another position. “They’d hide the note in him, then quickly kill Mondo and hide his body. After that, they’d have to wait around, before attacking Sayaka and Junko, and then attacking Hina and Sakura. AND all of these would have to be planned, since the notes were written in quite the clean calligraphy. Now, who do we know that sounds like…?” She pointed at Celeste, her smile returning.

“Awww, you flatter me, Iore. Imitation  _ is  _ the greatest form of flattery, after all.” Celeste smirked, placing a hand on her chest. “I know there’s many a person who’d kill to be like me, and truly, it’s flattering. Of course, there can only be one Celestia Ludenberg.”

“Calm down, would you? We aren’t trying to kill you.” Tsubasa sighed.

“Yet,” Iore smiled.

“How NAIVE of you, Tsubasa!” Celeste laughed. “But we  _ are  _ trying to kill eachother right now. We’re accusing eachother of murder. We’re VOTING for who gets killed in some elaborate and symbolic way. Or were you not here the last few times we’ve done this?!” Celeste cackled.

“Shut it!” Kyoko grumbled. “We’re just trying to find out who killed Taka and Mondo.”

“Isn’t that the same as accusing the blackened?” Iore quipped.

“God, I wished whatever person here killed Taka and Mondo took out Iore along with them!” Celeste screamed, as the room devolved into shouts of accusations and anger, everyone’s voices battling for control.

“QUIET!” Makoto yelled, surprised at how loud his voice was. Everyone turned to him. “We can’t just antagonize each other! We’re playing right into Monokuma’s hands!”

“Exactly,  _ I  _ am innocent in this.” Celeste spoke. “Besides, Iore started it.”

“Regardless, wishing death on each other isn’t a good thin-” Kyoko began, before Celeste exploded.

“GOOD?!” She screamed. “Good means VERY little in here, Ms. Kirigiri!” Her voice lacked her salacious accent, replaced with rage dripping from every ounce of her tone. “You all may think little of your puny, insignificant lives, but I WILL NOT DIE HERE! I will not let my beautiful, extravagant life fade into obscurity! I WILL NOT LET CELESTIA LUDENBERG BECOME A PART OF A  ** _FUCKING STATISTIC!!!” _ ** She heaved, her eyes searching the room for reaction, before she realized she had said something wrong.

“I,” She started, her accent back. “ I mean, haha! I am so, sorry! Silly, Silly me! I must have gotten.....tired! Yes, haha!"

“....Celeste?” Makoto asked, actually somewhat scared.

“H, Hm?” Celeste began, tucking a strand of black hair back into place. “I am fine! What are you worrying about? I am perfectly normal, Makoto!” Her smile returned, now forced. Painful, almost.

“Celeste, have you eaten anything funny?” Hanako began, concern seeping into her tone.

Celeste’s laugh sounded canned. “Running around all day does that to a woman, haha!”

“I’d say the Queen of Liars is,” Iore made a mock gasp. “Lying! Shock and awe!”

“Well then, Iore! PRAY TELL! What exactly am I lying about?!” Celeste shot back, teeth gritted.

"You....never told us your real name, Celeste, did you?" Makoto asked.

"I have no idea what you are talking about! Haha!" Celeste laughed. “Hahahahahaha!” 

"Celeste, don't refute it anymore. We're telling you to stop lying." Kyoko pleaded.

"I am not lying!"

"Your name, Ce-"

"STOP! STOP IT!" Celeste screamed. “YOU PEOPLE KEEP TELLING ME THAT I AM LYING!  ** _EVERYONE _ ** ALWAYS TELLS ME THAT I’M LYING! CAN’T SOMEONE JUST BELIEVE ME FOR ONCE?! CAN’T SOMEONE JUST…” She then realized that she'd been screaming without an accent. "Ah. You are...You are...all staring at me."

"Celeste," Kyoko started, before Celeste held up a hand.

"No. I'm sorry, Kyoko, but apparently, that is not my name!" She said, her smile massive and obvious, cracks forming over her porcelain make-up.

"Apparently, you all think I'm lying to you. APPARENTLY, I have been lying to you since the beginning. Apparently, you doubt my credibility!" Celeste grinned. “APPARENTLY, NONE OF ME IS REAL!”

"Celeste, for the sake of both of our liv-"

"NO! I WILL NOT ALLOW PEOPLE TO DISCREDIT MY NAME ANYMORE!"

"Celeste-"

"I HAVE SWINDLED MORE MONEY OUT OF PEOPLE FAR GREATER THAN YOU!"

"Calm d-"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! I'LL BURN YOU ALIVE!"

"CELEST-"

"MY NAME IS CELESTIA FUCKING LUDENBERG, AND I AM THE QUEEN OF LIARS!"

"CELESTIA!"

"WHAT?!"

Silence. Long, palpable, awkward silence.

"Celeste." Kyoko says, voice flat and tired. "Celeste, what is your name?"

Celestia just stood there. She just stood there, quiet and tired. "My...name...is...my name...is...." Celeste sighs. She runs a hand over her face. "My name is Taeko. Taeko Yasuhiro."

Kyoko smiles. "Thank you, Taeko."

"Ha! Well, I guess it's voting time!" Iore laughed. "Since Celeste admits her guilt at lying about us, she's clearly the killer."

"No! I wasn't lying about that, I wasn't..." Celeste shook her head. "I didn't kill them. I didn't."

“Why….why were you lying to us, Celeste?” Makoto asked.

Celeste cleared her throat. “What else was I supposed to do? I’ve lied my whole life. Lied to myself. Lied to my family. I was raised to be perfect. The perfect, traditional Japanese girl. But why should i have to be that? I wanted to be something eccentric. Something out of this world. Did you know Lolita fashion started as alternative?” She laughed, sadly, rubbing a tear out of her eye to stop it from smudging her make-up. “Celestia Ludenberg was an identity I crafted to help me feel different, but it was a wonderful double-personality. Being a teenager in underground gambling circles isn’t exactly the safest. A fake name and personality never hurt.”

“Celestia…” Kyoko whispered.

“I’m sorry. I understand if you don’t want to...hang out with me, or whatever, after this.” She spoke. The harsh difference between Taeko’s words, simple and plain, compared to the extravagant pose of Celeste were worlds apart.

“We can have this conversation later, if I may intercut.” Hanako said. “Our lives are on the line, after all.”

“Right.” Kyoko sobered. “We’ve covered our alibis, and some of our evidence. Though I’m sure we all know what happened…”

“Serial murders and assaults, all with mysterious notes left at the scene of the crime.” Sakura summarized.

“I think we should be talkin’ about motives.” Leon stated. “Who could get something from killing Mondo and Kiyotaka?”

“Well, we really don’t know, do we?” Makoto sighed. “Monokuma didn’t issue a motive.”

“Maybe...who has a grudge against Celeste?” Hina guessed. “I believe that she’s innocent, and running with that, who would want her out of the picture?”

“But if Celeste was found guilty of a crime she didn’t commit…” Chihiro started. “Then wouldn’t we all die anyway?”   
  
“Right…” Hina sighed.

“I think Aoi was onto something, actually.” Sayaka protested. “Maybe it wasn’t to get her killed, but rather to bring suspicion away from the killer, and to place it onto Celeste.”

“Interesting...trying to hide their identity in plain sight by diverting attention onto the most dramatic person here, Celeste.” Tsubasa said. “An unorthodox plan, but we did spend most of our investigation time running around and pointing fingers…”

“This is all off baseless accusations.” Iore cut in. “We still don’t have any proof that Taeko wasn’t the culprit.”

“She’s right…” Celeste sighed. “You don’t have any proof. You should all be distrusting me right now.”

“Hey!” Aiko shouted, having stayed quiet ever since Celeste’s breakdown. “H-Hey, I...I believe Celeste!”

“And?”

“I roll for perception!” Aiko shook her hand, producing a d20 from her sleeve. “Ha! A nat 20! That proves that Celeste is innocent!”

Celeste laughed. “Thank you, Aiko. it means a lot.”

“Movin’ on, I wanna talk about how damn convulented this scheme was. Who the hell even has time to do all that?” Junko commented. “Seems fishy to me…”

“Oh? Suggesting foul play, are we?” Iore asked.

“No! Stop putting words in my mouth!” Junko shouted back.

“Junko’s right.” Makoto stated. “It seems impossible for it all to go by so quickly.”

“Let’s review our alibis then.” Hanako smiled. “The one’s under suspicion were...Junko, Hina, Iore, Sakura, and Sayaka.”

“I doubt that the victims of the attacks would’ve orchestrated it.” Makoto deduced. “Though, going off the diversion theory, that could put them in more suspicion.”

“Hey, I swim daily. Like i’d risk injuring my ankle!” Hina huffed.

“Besides. I’d never let anything harm Hina.” Sakura added.

“And? We’re supposed to believe that?” Iore laughed. “Your word doesn’t mean anything. We’ve known eachother for what? A week or two? How in the world does that mean we can believe them?”

“Because we’re friends, asshole!” Leon shouted. “And we’ve been  _ trying  _ to be your friend too, but you’re too wrapped up in your own bullshit to do so!”

“Trying to be my friend?” Iore snickered. “You all included me out of obligation, let’s make that clear.”

“Yeah! Who’s fault is that?!”

“Guys, calm down,” Makoto said, trying desperately to de-escalate. “This isn’t solving anything.”

“No, I think it is.” Iore grinned. “I know a lot of things about a lot of people. But especially the people in this room. I’ve researched you all exhaustively before my arrival here. I know everything there is to know, except for you.” She jabbed a finger at Celeste.

“She sounds like she’s going to whip out an updated autopsy report, talking like that…” Celeste sighed.

“And so I got to wondering. What have you done to escape even my knowledge?” She paced on the spot. “Then it hit me. How do you break the unbreakable? Get those made of titanium to crack? You put them under stress. You don’t break them all at once, no, you put pressure on slowly. You wear them down until-” She snapped her fingers. “They shatter.”

“Wh--”

“I learned your secret, Taeko Yasuhiro.” Iore smiled. “Once again, I know it all.”

“...You did it?” Kyoko whispered.

“Took you long enough to find out.” Iore grinned.

“WOWIE ZOWIE!!!!” Monokuma applauded. “SO DRAMATIC!!! ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE…..IT’S VOTING TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Come on, she just confessed!” Makoto groaned.

“Yeha man, we get it already!” Leon added.

“VOTING TIME!” Monokuma shouted, much louder this time. Screens descended from the ceiling, all reading: ‘VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME! VOTING TIME!’ in bright pink text.

“Now, would you all direct those peepers of yours to the dashboard on your podium?? Pretty please, for me???” Makoto looked down, seeing a myriad of buttons. 5, 9, and 19 were blacked out. “Once I open the polls, you all will simply push the button and vote for who you think disturbed the peace and became blackened! Eeeee, I simply can’t wait to see the results!! Who's it gonna be, who's it gonna be???!!!!”

The screens changed to read “POLLS OPEN!!”, as the other students reluctantly tapped buttons on their dashboards below. Makoto, with a shaking hand, examined the suspects surrounding him. He tried to blink away brimming tears, before pressing button number 8, the one corresponding to Iore Kitabayashi.

“And with that, the votes are in!!! Let’s tally 'em up, shall we??” Monokuma laughed, as the screens shifted to record votes. Images of every student flashed before his eyes, with an empty bar below the images, listing the number of people who voted for that person. After a half minute that felt like an eternity, the images stopped, leaving just three silhouettes.

“In third place….” Monokuma began. “Huh? What the, HEY! You all cheated! How come you all voted for the same person?!”

“What?!” Makoto shouted.

“Well, in first place, but unanimous vote, the blackened is…..IORE KITABAYASHI!” Monokuma applauded.

“Iore...why’d you do it?” Hina asked. “Why’d you kill them?”

“I’m Iore Kitabayashi. Ultimate Rumor Mill.” She said. “I know everything.  _ Everything. _ ” She smiled, a cold, unfeeling smile. “Mondo Oowada killed his brother in a motorcycle accident. Kiyotaka Ishimaru wanted to be prime minister when he grew up. Makoto Naegi thinks he doesn’t deserve to be here. Kyoko Kirigiri feels lost, without direction. Chihiro Fujisaki just wants to be a part of the group.”

“W-Where are you going with this…?” Makoto started, voice shaking from her accuracy.

“I. Know. Everything.” She said.

“So you killed two people just to get me to break?!” Celeste screamed. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Well, not  _ just  _ that. Even if it was really fun to watch you snap.” She smirked. “No, I saw them break a rule.”

“What? Stop being cryptic already and tell us what the fuck is going on!” Leon demanded.

“AHEM!” Monokuma grunted. “While you are correct, I didn’t get to do my little fanfare! I am wounded!” He whined, before shooting upright. “But, allow me to show you a handy-dandy little video to illustrate Ms. Kitabayashi’s point!!!” The screens above shifted from pink text to...manga panels.

_ A girl in an elementary school uniform, very similar to Iore in appearance, sat, reading a book. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a boy. _

_ A boy playing with Pokemon Cards during free time. Toys from outside of the school were not allowed to be brought in whatsoever, no exceptions. _

_ So she walked over to the boy, and told them they weren’t allowed to do that. The boys told her that the knew. Iore saw red. She smiled at them. “Ok! I think I’ll let teacher come play too!” The boys snapped at her to shut up, but her hand was already in the air. “Teacher! Come look!” _

_ The boys were expelled. And Iore’s heart soared with pride. Oh, how much good she was doing. _

_ The pages flipped, showing the people Iore got expelled from her school, throughout her years. For fist fighting to minor infractions, Iore did away with evildoers, in order to uphold her idea of perfection. _

_ She only ever made one friend, really. A girl named Haruhi Miyamoto. Iore felt like she’d never been closer to another human being in her life. _

_ But when Haruhi cheated on a pop quiz, Iore didn’t hesitate. Her hand shot up. “Teacher~!!!!” She said. _

_ It was in middle school she went bigger. For little things or big things, ire could always find the infraction. Always find the inconsistency. Miss Araki forged her papers. Mr. Mimorio kept unsavory materials in his desk. It was far too easy, in all honestly. It’s like they wanted to be caught. _

_ But, no matter how many of her classmates she put away, no matter how many disappeared from her class, no matter how much justice she dispensed… _

_ Iore wanted more. She wanted a bigger, better target.  _

_ So she took to the school board. _

_ PTA Organizer Ms. Shimoe was making hallucinogenic brownies. Superintendent Eiji Mashiora is cheating on his wife. Principal Yamada is sleeping with his student aid. _

_ Iore knew everything. She knew everyone. She was the Ultimate Rumor Mill, after all. _

The screen’s blipped out, leaving Iore smiling there. “It’s pretty simple, honestly! I’ve played my game. I’ve gotten my information. Taeko Yasuhiro…” She sighed. “But I suppose I’ll never get to leak that tidbit, will I?” She shook her head. “It’s a shame.”

“But….but why did you admit to it?” Makoto asked.

“Oh?” Iore turned to face him, before a smile broke over her face. “It’s simple! I got what I wanted. I never wanted any of you to  _ die.  _ I just wanted to know everything I could. I got what I wanted. Just know, you would’ve lost if it wasn’t for me. Consider it thanks for letting me win.” She smiled, looking at Monokuma. “I’m ready!”

“I THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK, MISS KITABAYASHI!!!!” The metallic door appeared once again, the light over the door reading VACANT. Iore stepped over the threshold. “Let’s get it going!!! THRILLS, CHILLS, KILLS!!! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Monokuma laughed and laughed, as the doors slammed shut. The sign changed to read IN USE.

The screens changed to read:

** CONGRATULATIONS! **

**IORE KITABAYASHI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY**

  
  


**TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!**

As the screen changed to read this, a 16-bit sprite of Iore being dragged off by Monokuma accompanied it. The screen changed once more:

  
  


Iore Kitabayashi sat there, perfectly still. She was at a desk, in a ruined classroom, papers and pens scattered around her. Was no one else in the classroom? How irresponsible of them to miss the meeting. She looked to the blackboard at the front of the room, her eyes widening in fear as she read the words written in white chalk.

**THE EXPULSION OF THE TEACHER’S PET**

All at once, metal clamped around Iore’s wrists and ankles, and her desk began to rotate and revolve around in the room at lightning speeds, whipping her forward and backwards, as her screams filled the room, before jerking to a stop, throwing Iore against the whiteboard. Just then, dozens of other desks were raised into the classroom, each with a Monokuma sat at them. They laughed, pointing at Iore, before they each produced paper airplanes. They reared back, and threw them, the razor sharp papers cutting into Iore’s skin, digging themselves into the wall behind her. As if this wasn’t enough, her desk began to spin and move again, narrowly dodging a baragge of attacks from Monokuma’s surrounding her. She was trapped. Closed in with nowhere to go. She laughed. How strange that she wasn’t prepared for death, even if she was so ready for it just a few moments ago. As her mind swam and spun, her brain cracking under the amazing and horrible force the desk was putting on her body, her last thought was of content-ness.

  
  
  


No one dared to speak once the screens blinked into existence. “Wow...I was sure you guys weren’t gonna figure out the killer…” Monokuma sighed. “Miss Kitabayashi had to go and ruin my fun!”

Makoto stared at the students around him. 12.

“Shut. Up.” Taeko Yasuhiro spat. “I don’t need your taunting, you bastard.”

“WOW! Such rudeness, Ms. Ludenb-- sorry, Ms. Yasuhiro!”

“I don’t care anymore. No matter how hard you try, no matter how awful a trial you put me through, I  _ will  _ make it out of here alive. That’s a promise.” She smiled. “One I’m willing to bet on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12/19


	8. INTERMISSION-idontwannabeyouanymore

[REDACTED] knew her first born daughter wasn’t going to be a model. After all, she was far from classically beautiful. And [REDACTED] knew that his firstborn daughter couldn’t be a businessman, as she was a girl. So, they cast her aside, and let the nannies look after her.

She was a small girl when she started watching superhero cartoons. When her maid always asked her why she liked them so much, she always said she liked the costumes. She knew that wasn’t the truth, but that’s what she said. Because she was a kid, and she was afraid of saying what she really meant.

She wanted to be a hero.

She wanted to wear a latex, garishly colored suit and fight crime like a superhero that stands tall on gargoyles with strong moral tenants that keep her in line.

Her twin sister (younger by 3 minutes) thought that was stupid, and liking superheroes was stupid.

She would always frown. She’d turn to her sister and ask “Why are the things I like stupid?”

Her sister would always laugh, lean forward and spit: “Anyone who wants to help others is stupid!”

She would just shrug, and keep watching her cartoons.

That’s just how things were. Her sister would delight in mocking her interests, and evuntally, over years of weathering, she became numb to it. She fell into a routine of blockading her constant verbal assault from her mind, and just nodding her head and saying “Of course, sis.”

Her sister became the only important force in her life. Her parents didn’t care, but at least her sister was *there*. At least she was present. she came into the spotlight in her mind. She was the only thing that mattered. The only thing she thought about. The only thing that was tangible. The only thing that would be there with her. Her disgruntlement and passive discontent with her sister grew to genuine care, where none was before.

The family took a trip to Paris when the siblings were 6. And the sister convinced her to run away with her for the night. To explore the streets and run wild. She agreed, of course! It was her sister, and no idea is a bad idea if it comes from her. She broke that night. It was all that her sister wanted. What her sister needed. Whatever her little sister wanted to be done, she would do it.

It was in her early teens that she took an interest in combat and weapon training. She was an instant master. She learned how to fight, how to conceal weapons, how to incapicatate someone, how to kill. So, when the family took another trip to the middle east, and her sister suggested she [REDACTED], that she nodded and agreed. After all, it was what her sister wanted.

She was shocked by how diverse their backgrounds were. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]  


These people, [REDACTED] They were her family for those years. They treated her like a daughter, like a sister, and would do everything in their power to protect her. They weren’t what she was used to. They weren’t...her sister.

[REDACTED] would talk about her little sister with adoration and care, but her comrades were horrified. They told her that’s not how sisters act, and said they would care for her in her sister’s place, and teach her better.

Something must be wrong, something had to be wrong. These people loved her, but they didn’t call her names. They didn’t tear her down just to get raw responses. They didn’t do the things her sister did to her. What was right? What was how a family acted? Was [REDACTED] correct, or was her sister? What was the line? Who were villains?

The black and white refused to mix into gray. The villains and heroes refused to meet in the middle and blur together.

She stayed with [REDACTED] for just over 5 years. From age 11-16, before she left. They let her go. They still loved her, and she still loved them. But no one can tell her that her sister didn’t care about her. No one.

But now. Now…

She’s tired.

  
  
  
  



	9. Guilt and Secrets-DAILY LIFE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a bit but here comes a new chapter hehe, I’ve recently realized that I get a lot more motivated to write when it’s my only option, so hopefully when school starts up again I can get smth done! (Wish me luck because I do not trust my school to handle covid-school LMAO)

“Do you ever think it’ll get easier?” Makoto Naegi asked, arms wrapped around Leon Kuwata, holding him close as if the shadows in his dorm room might take him away.

“I don’t want it to.” Leon responded. “I’m scared that I’ll get used to it, ya feel?”

Makoto nodded silently. “...I know Iore was a bad person.” He said. “But...I can’t help but feel like it shouldn’t have ended like this.”

“No one deserves to go out like the people here have. No one.” Leon urged. “I can’t wait to get out of here.”

_ If we get out of here.  _ Makoto thought. He didn’t say that, but part of him knew they might not escape. That they might not win this twisted game. But he couldn’t do that to Leon. He couldn’t hurt him more than the killing game already had.

“Yeah, yeah I get it.” Leon said. “We might not ever get out of here.”

“Wh-” Makoto started. “How did you,”

“I’m an optimist. I’m not stupid.” Leon laughed. “I know there’s a good chance we could die here.”

“...I’m sorry.” Makoto responded.

“Why? You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“No, I’m just,” Makoto sniffled, trying to keep tears in his eyes that were already rolling down his cheeks. “I wish I could’ve...done something! I wish I could’ve done more than just sitting here and, getting kidnapped.”

“You realize how that sounds, right,”

“Yeah, yeah I hear it…”

“Look, Makoto,” Leon shifted, bringing Makoto’s eyes to meet his own. “You  _ have  _ done something. You being here has kept us all going. You’ve cleared me of suspicion and saved my life. You  _ literally  _ saved Celeste’s life like. What, an hour ago? Stop selling yourself short already.”

Makoto blinked tears out of his eyes, a small smile creeping onto his face. “Thanks.”

\---

Kyoko Kirigiri had always hated fire. Fire burned, and it burned everything it touched. It scarred, and spread, and hurt everything within it’s reach.

She sat in the library, staring at the fireplace. It wasn’t real, she had deduced that upon walking into the room, but it looked real. It sounded real. Kyoko wondered if it felt real.

She wondered, would the flames that crackled over nothing burn her fingers? Would they harm her skin, charring it to a crisp?

Would it hurt? Would it burn? Would it kill?

Kyoko’s hand traced over the studs on the back of her gloved hand. It was muscle memory. Her hand followed the stitching along the faux leather, her fingers touching the silver zipper at the edge of the glove.

Inch by inch, her eyes transfixed by the fire burning inside the empty fireplace, she unzipped her glove.

Kyoko realized how fast her heart was beating once she saw the scarred flesh of her hand. The scarred, horrific burns spreading across her skin, it made her sweat. It was hot in the library. The fire was growing. The fire was getting larger, larger, and larger, and it was spreading. It was engulfing her. The metal of her jacket melted, burning her skin. Her hair was aflame, her eyes, her skin, her clothes, the fire was traveling down her throat, singing her insides. She watched herself die in that flame. Watched her body drop and watch the flames devour her. Just another burned, lifeless corpse taken by the gaping maw of the inferno.

Kyoko shouted, knocking over a stack of books, and bringing herself back to reality. She heaved and huffed, realizing the fire wasn’t killing her. No, it was just...burning. Burning in place.

Her hands flew to her head, holding her skull as she cried. And she was back there. Back in that room.

\---

_ “SAMIDARE!” Kyoko screamed, her voice drowned by the flames. “SAMIDARE COME ON!” Her fist slammed against the door, ignoring the onset of a burning terror on the wooden door. _

_ She couldn’t die. No, she couldn’t. Kyoko wouldn’t let her. Kyoko’s hand flew to the doorknob, only to recoil backwards in pain as the metal of the round doorknob was hot to the touch, burning her flesh with a sickening sizzle. “Samidare…” Kyoko groaned, clutching her hand before walking backwards, tripping over the carpet, and landing on her back, the fire engulfing her arms, setting her coat ablaze. Kyoko quickly tore it off, throwing it as far away as she could. Kyoko coughed, the smoke now very noticeable. _

_ But she couldn’t leave her. She couldn’t just let her die. She stumbled back towards the door, trying her best to push the excruciating pain across her whole body to the back of her mind. Wood was falling around her, just joining the bonfire of the house. Her hand beat against the wood, recoiling in pain. She had to do something. “Samidare...Yui….” Kyoko sobbed to no one. “I’m...I’m sorry.” then Kyoko lost consciousness. _

_ When she woke up in the hospital, she learned that Yui Samidare was dead. That the fire had claimed her and the suspect. _

_ Kyoko looked at the burn scars on her hands and only wished she could’ve pushed through it. That she could’ve fought harder. That she could’ve stomached the pain to save her first friend. _

_ ...Her best friend. _

\---

Kyoko was crying, she realized. It didn’t feel natural. Her hand shook as she touched her cheek, feeling the wet tears streaming down her face. It was hot. Too hot.

She took a deep breath,fingers tangling themselves into her hair. She knew something was missing. A part of herself, a fragment that was...messy. Like water clouded by paint, her mind was blotchy, her memories, some part of her humanity whited out.

She saw her face, then. Short, brown hair with a thin streak of white over her forehead. Red glasses perched on her nose, helping her emerald green eyes see. Her smile was blinding. What could Kyoko had done differently. Could she had saved her?

“...Yui…” Kyoko wheezed out, sinking to the floor and hugging herself as she sobbed. But she didn’t know why she was crying. She didn’t know who that girl was. She couldn’t remember.

Maybe that was reason enough to cry.

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATHER!!!!**

**UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM FUCKING LOOOOOSING IT OUT HERE!!!!!!!!! https://bit.ly/3hwoi1v WHY ARE YOU LIKE THAT??? WHY ARE YOU A TUMOR????? **

\---

Junko Enoshima didn’t want to wake up. She didn’t want to leave her bed. Not when she had blood on her hands.

She stared at herself in the mirror. Looking at her smoky-eye and her over-done blush. It was intentional. Crafted like a perfect mask to deceive mankind. Maybe even deceive herself.

Her hand brushed at the dyed blonde hue of her hair, at the hair-clips that sat at the top of her head. She examined the counter below her, the multitudes of products that were laid out in order, each made to be used in succession in a precise routine.

Junko eyed them with contempt. Her teeth gritted in her mouth, her nails digging into her palm. In a swift movement, she threw the piles of product to the ground, grabbing her bottle of make-up remover and wetting a wipe with it. She began hurriedly taking the make-up from her face, not for any hatred of the art. She just didn’t like it on her face.

She didn’t like lying. She wiped the foundation and blush off her cheeks, the lipstick from her mouth, the liner from her eyes.

She touched the freckles dappling her cheeks and nose like she was handling a bomb. She sniffed, trying to stop tears from breaking out of her eyes. Shaking, her hands touched the hair on her head.

She quickly locked the door to her dorm room. Just in case. Then, she calmly walked over to the bathroom counter.

Isopropyl alcohol. Conditioner. Water. And a small towel.

\---

“H-Hello!” Chihiro smiled once everyone had entered the waiting room. “I have an update!”

No one said anything. They were all much too tired. Each of them hadn’t bothered to get properly dressed, all of them in sleepwear. 

“R-Right.” Chihiro, a workaholic with no real issue with pulling all-nighters, seemed to be the only one present. “Well, Alter Ego recently made a breakthrough when searching for files.”

This seemed to get the group’s attention. “Really?” Celeste spoke, seemingly still speaking in her accent. No one bothered to mention it.

“Y-Yes. She didn’t find much, but it’s...something. If anything, it’s proof that hacking Hope’s Peak servers is possible.” Chihiro explained, teetering on her feet, holding the laptop in hand.

“So what’re we waitin’ for? Crack it open!” Leon exclaimed. Chihiro chuckled at his excitement, placing her laptop atop the bench in the waiting room, opening the front of the screen, Alter Ego blipping to life.

Chihiro tapped a few keys, as a window blipped over Alter Ego, reading “Voice Recognition Online.”

“Can you hear me, Alter Ego?” Chihiro said.

“Oh! Hello, Ms. Fujisaki!” Alter Ego smiled. “What do you need today?”

“Oh, I’ve gathered everyone here, can you show us the files you located?” Chihiro asked.

“Ah? I’m so sorry, Ms. Fujisaki! I do not understand that command.” Alter Ego frowned.

“The...uh….voice recognition software is a work in progress…” Chihiro coughed. “I’m working with scraps here.”

“Uh,” Celeste stepped forward. “Alter Ego, can you show us the files that you located?”

“Voice recognized as Celestial Ludenberg...Ms. Ludenberg, I do not understand that command.” Alter Ego apologized.

“This is infuriating,” Tsubasa grumbled. “Alter Ego, show us the files, please!”

“Tsubasa Kamii...I do not understand that command.”

“Alter Ego, do you have any photos from Hope’s Peak’s files?” Makoto asked, hoping a smile would help.

“Voice unrecognizable…” Alter Ego sighed.

“Damn. Brutal.” Leon laughed.

“Doesn’t even recognize my voice…” Makoto sighed, crossing his arms and pouting.

“Wh— I SAID ITS A WORK IN PROGRESS!” Chihiro shouted, before whirling back around and typing a bit more into Alter Ego. The screen read “Text Commands Only”. Chihiro then typed furiously.

After a second, Alter Ego blinked a few times, before a smile spreads across their face. “Alright! Opening image files: Class78thMem.PNG, Lovebirds.PNG, and Cafeteria.PNG.” Alter Ego’s screen went dark, before an image took over the screen.

“Alright. This is one of the image files Alter Ego found. It was labeled, “Class78thMem.PNG”. Chihiro enlarged the window, showing the picture fully.

The picture showed Kyoko Kirigiri, face scowling at the camera. Her hair was not in the signature heavy braid she could be spotted inside the Killing Game, instead mostly down, with a single braid on the left side and f her head, kept in place with a little black bow. She wore a white shirt under a brown blazer, with a matching brown skirt. Though, judging by the arm shielding her face from the camera lens, she still wore her black studded gloves. By straining ones eyes, you could easily spot Kotomi Ikuta deconstructing a hunting rifle, much to Chihiro Fujisaki’s interest, and Yasuhiro Hagakure’s boredom. 

“What the hell…” Leon whispered.

“I have no memory of that picture ever being taken.” Kyoko whispered, now squatting, a hand over her mouth.

“Don’t you not remember a lot of stuff..?” Aiko asked.

“I hate being photographed. I would never have let the photographer download this picture. It has to have been doctored.” Kyoko deduced.

“Besides,” Celeste continued, placing a hand on Kyoko’s shoulder, surprised when Kyoko didn’t shrug it off. “What’s with that outfit? I simply cannot picture Kyoko without her atrocious trench coat.”

“Thank you…?” Kyoko asked.

“That...that outfit’s the Hope’s Peak Academy uniform!” Sakura exclaimed. 

“How do you know that?” Aiko asked.

“I remember when I was looking at my acceptance letter. They couldn’t make a blazer big enough for me, so I just ripped the sleeves off.” Sakura explained.

“Well that just seals the deal.” Leon shrugged. “It’s a totally fake pic.”

“Exactly!” Makoto smiles. “Totally doctored.”

“Well…” Chihiro gulped. “That’s what I thought too, at first…”

“At first…?” Sayaka swallowed. “What do you mean, at first?”

“Well, I had Alter Ego so some digging into that files personal history in Hope’s Peak’s cloud data.” Chihiro began typing. “All we could find was the date it was uploaded. May 12th, 2052.”

“But...that’s a month ahead of when we first ended up here!” Junko groaned. “It’s prolly just corrupted.”

“If it was corrupted, then I wouldn’t be able to open the file. All the information here is...100% factual.”

As if on cue, a sound rang out through the school.

_ DIng Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Ahem! Ahem! Attention all students of Hope’s Peak Academy! Please report to the school gymnasium! I have a special surprise for you! Puhuhuhuhu!” _

“I hate it here.”

\---

“Hello, hello, hello!” Monokuma whirred excitedly. “It’s so nice to see all your faces!”

“Shut up, you stupid bear.” Junko grumbled. “What the hell do you want?”

  
“Awww...how rude, Miss Enoshima!” Monokuma pouted. “Here I am, having a special surprise for my lovely class, and you all have to poop all over my parade! Buhuhuhuhu….”

“Ugh...Just get it over with, Monokuma.” Sakura grumbled, arms folded.

“Buhuhuhuhu….I would….But I’m just too sad….Buhuhuhu!”

“Yeah, no, I’m out.” Toko stated. “If I have to listen to this motherfucker cry for one more minute, I’m gonna go insane.”

“FINE FINE, I’M DONE!” Monokuma cleared his non-existent throat, and hopped onto his feet. “Well, my lovely class, us here in Hope’s Peak Academy have had a RIGOROUS time, thus far, haven’t we?”

“Yeah, no shit!” Aiko shouted.

“AHEM!” Monokuma hopped off of his podium, which slid off of the stage. “Thus, I’ve decided to give you all a little break!”

Makoto felt a shiver fall down his spine. This couldn’t be good. It was Monokuma, nothing he proposed to them could be good. He swallowed, and focused back on Monokuma, who was waiting for a reaction.

“What...kind of break?” Sayaka asked, fiddling with her skirt.

“I’m SO very glad you asked, Ms. Maizono! We’ll be holding a school dance!” Monokuma cackled.

“A...school...dance.” Celeste deadpanned. “Really.”

“Yes! Really!” Monokuma giggled.

“So, what’s the catch?” Tsubasa asked. “Poisoned punch? Some motive behind becoming prom queen?”

Monokuma gasped, scandalized. “Ms. Kamii, I am APPALLED! SHOCKED! BETRAYED! HOW COULD YOU EVER ACCUSE M-”

“Don’t beat around the bush, asshole!” Leon spat. “Out with it!”

“Fiiiine! The theme for our school dance is….” Monokuma clapped his paws, as banners with his face descended around him. “MURDER MYSTERY!”

“Of course it is.” Kyoko sighed, pinching her nose and shaking her head. “How long did it take you to install those things?”

“Don’t worry about it, Ms. Kirigiri!” Monokuma laughed. “Now, here’s how things will go down! Tomorrow, I won’t be having a restriction on nighttime! Anyone can go anywhere alllllllll night!”

“R-Really?” Chihiro asked. “There’s no catch?”

“Well….tomorrow, I’m also holding our dance! Which is mandatory, by the way!” Monokuma giggled.

“Uh, what exactly are we gonna...do?” Makoto asked. “Just, sit around and drink punch or whatever?”

“Uhhhh, NO! We’re gonna have a game!” Monokuma grinned.

“What kind of game?” Celeste snarled. “Because knowing you, you’ll just be finding some fun new way to kill us!”

“Well....we don’t have enough fun around here as students and principal! So….we’re gonna be playing some truth or dare games! Just some icebreakers! Of course, failure to respond truthfully is a liable way to get yourself punished…”

“Great! So it’s just another excuse to kill us…” Aoi sighed.

“I mean, what else is new?” Sakura responded.

“Well! I’ve delivered the news to you guys! So, go! Get yourself some nice outfits so you can talk about your deepest darkest secrets! Puhuhuhu!”

\---

“So, we aren’t doing that, right.” Leon said, the second they left the gymnasium.

“Yeah, no fucking way.” Aiko grumbled. “I don’t even need a wisdom check to know going along with Monokuma’s plans is a bad idea.”

“Well…” Sayaka started. “Who knows what Monokuma’ll do if we don’t do what he says? It might mean death either way…”

“But Truth or Dare? Really? This isn’t some middle school sleepover.” Celeste scoffed.

“Speaking of truth,” Tsubasa started. “Celeste, do you want us to keep calling you...Celeste?”

Celeste froze, before adjusting herself. She sighed, dropping her accent. “Celestia Ludenberg. Even if it’s not my  _ actual  _ name, the Celestia Ludenberg persona is one I care far too much about. I’ve worked too hard to stop now.”

“That’s understandable…” Chihiro nodded.

“Glad we got that sorted out.” Kyoko added. “Now, we should make a plan of attack. Monokuma is giving us a day to prepare. We need to be ready to answer any question he could throw at us.”

  
“Ugh…” Toko groaned. “I hate how much that piece of garbage knows about us…”

“Right.” Junko swallowed. “How much he knows.”

\---

Junko Enoshima stood in her bathroom. She looked in the mirror and she saw someone else. A hand curled tight around her wrist, fake nails digging into the side of her arm.

She held up her right hand, examining the back of it closely. Nope. She couldn’t see it. It was as if her tattoo was never there. 

“Stop,” She hissed, staring at her reflection. “Stop it,”

She looked at the girl looking back at her, and she cried. Tears streaming from her face, she shouted, grabbing the bottle of rubbing alcohol off of her counter and throwing it at the mirror, breathing heavily as she watched the webbing-like cracks spread further and further.

Tears cut through her make-up like the cracks of the mirror,her teeth gritting in an angry snarl, as she touched the broken glass of the mirror with one hand. Blood dribbled down her finger, but it’s color didn’t match the red of her nails.

“Junko?” Came a muffled voice, followed by knocks on her door. “Junko, it’s Sayaka.”

Junko froze. She didn’t say anything, but she moved to her bed. “Junko, you looked really off when you left the meeting, and I was worried about you, so…”

Junko didn’t say anything. What would she say? She just kept breathing. It was all she could do. 

“If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine, but...I wanted to say something. I know that...this isn’t exactly the most ideal scenario for us to be in, but I just...I wanted to tell you that I care about you. A lot.” Junko froze. “And...I want you to be happy, or, as happy as you can be, I guess. Just…you’re not alone, okay? I know it can be hard to remember that, given our circumstances but...it’s important you don’t forget, alright?”

Junko stood up, and walked forward, opening the door. Sayaka’s eyes widened in concern upon seeing her. She couldn’t really blame the idol, as her appearance couldn’t be close to what she normally looked like.

“Junko? Are you okay? What...what happened?”

Junko didn’t respond, she just grabbed Sayaka into a tight hug, mumbling “I’m sorry” as much as she could into her ear.

Sayaka returned the hug after a moment, holding Junko close. “You don’t have to be. It’s okay.”

But it wasn’t. Junko knew it wasn’t. She pulled back, leading Sayaka into her dorm room and locking the door.

“What’s going on?” Sayaka asked, hand over Junko’s as she cried into her arm.

“I…” Junko started. “Fuck, I,”

“You don’t have to tell me.” Sayaka said.

“No. I can’t keep running away.” Junko snuffed, holding back tears. “But I need your help, Sayaka.”

“...With what?” She asked, concern clouding her eyes.

“Please….Sayaka, help me die.”

—-

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—-

“Bam! I win!” Aiko grinned again, taking back her cards from the dining hall table. Sakura laughed again while Aoi groaned, dropping her cards on the table.

“This is unfair! Go Fish is entirely luck based!” Hina grumbled. Aiko stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

“If it was luck based,” Celeste started. “I would’ve won by now. Again, Umesawa.”

“Alright! If you’re willing to lose again!” Aiko cackled, taking a d20 from her pocket. She rolled it across the table, rejoicing in victory when it came up with a 20. 

“What was that for?” Sakura asked.

“Testing my luck! I’m ready to keep playing all day, losers!” Aiko smirked.

“We don’t exactly have all day.” Kyoko Kirigiri said, standing from the back of the room, where she had stood silent.

“Ugh, don’t be such a BUZZKILL!” Syo spat from her seat. “I like watching them play stupid card games! Besides, who wants to think about Monobitch and his dumb school dance or whatever!”

“Maybe don’t call our captor and tormentor a bitch, Syo.” Sakura warned. 

“I’ll do what I want, Cherry Blossom!” Syo shouted back at Sakura.

“What did you call her?” Asahina adked, genuinely confused.

“Ya got wax in your ears, Donut Girl! I’m fun and cool and quirky! I can use endearing yet rude nicknames! Fuck you!”

Kyoko sighed, and returned her eyes to the clock mounted in the wall. Any second now…

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Ahem! Attention all Hope’s peak students! Please report to the gymnasium for our school dance! Please and thank you!” _

“Well, I guess that’s our cue.” Aoi sighed.

“Don’t be so dramatic!” Aiko smiles. “We just don’t have to lie, and we’ll all be fine!”

—-

Makoto didn’t know what he was expecting, but this wasn’t it. The gymnasium had been decorated like a game show set, coated head to toe in glittering lights and stands for the students. Monokuma himself stood on the stage, dressed in a bespoke suit.

“Awww, none of you dressed up! Well, I guess that would’ve been hard for you...a shame a certain Ultimate Tailor wasn’t around to help...PUHUHUHU!” Monokuma cackled.

“Can we just get this over with?!” Junko spat.

“Eager! I like it!” Monokuma clapped his paws as a folding chair erected itself in the center of the gymnasium. “Alright students, please put on your ID stickers! Wouldn’t be a school dance without them!!”

Makoto walked forward and picked up s green sticker reading: “HELLO MY NAME IS: MAKOTO NAEGI” Makoto groaned and reluctantly stuck it to his shirt.

“I am not putting that on my dress.” Celeste grumbled. 

“Put it on.” Kyoko said, matter of factly.

“This is expensive! Like I’m gonna—“ Kyoko took the sticker and slapped it onto her necktie. “How dare you!”

“It’s not on your dress, is it?” Kyoko smirked. Celeste blushed through her porcelain makeup.

“As adorable as this is…” Monokuma grumbled. “PUT ON THE DAMN STICKERS!”

The students did as they were told, sticking their ID onto their clothes.

“Now! Time for our MAIN EVENT!” Monokuma cackled. “TRUTH OR DARE!” The stands littering the room formed a half circle for each of the students, who dutifully took their places at each one. “NOW! Allow me to explain the rules! A volunteer will start by having to answer a question truthfully, or to perform a dare! Refusal to do so will result in PUNISHMENT!”

“Fuck this!” Leon spat. “I’m leaving!”

“Uh uh uh, mr. Kuwata! Refusal to participate will ALSO result in punishment!”

Leon scoffed. “Sure! How’s that gonna work?”

“Well…..see that handy dandy little ID sticker?”

“Yeah…”

“There’s an explosive device in there that can read and record brainwaves! So don’t even BOTHER trying to lie to me! Or else the whole school will smell like ROAST PUNK TRASH!” Monokuma devolved into giggles as Leon pitifully retreated back to his stand.

“LIKE HELL I'M WEARING A BOMB!” Syo shouted, already moving to take the sticker off.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Miss Genocider! The fibers in that doo-dad are bonded to your heartbeat since they’re close to it! If it doesn’t detect a pulse...KA-BLOOEY! Seared edgelord for dinner!”

“Ugh….FUCK YOU! PIECE OF SHIT LITTLE ASSHOLE MOTHERFUCKER!!” Syo spat, crossing her arms in annoyance.

“Where are you pulling these questions from, if I might ask…?” Tsubasa started, arms crossed.

“Oh, just all the JUICY gossip I have on you guys! It’s really terrifying how much personal info they let headmasters have about their students…” Monokuma cackled, before resting his head on his paws. “SO! Who wants to go first!”

Obviously, no one was jumping to volunteer.

“If no one volunteers, I’m just gonna start pickin’ names…” Monokuma started. 

Makoto raised his hand. 

“MR NAEGI! How kind of you to speak up!” Monokuma grinned. “Now. Truth? Or dare?”

Makoto swallowed as lights flashed around him, before quietly stating: “Truth.”

“Hm! Alright.” Monokuma grinned. “Makoto Naegi, what’s your greatest fear? Remember, there’s a right answer to this one!”

Makoto swallowed. What  _ was  _ his greatest fear? Death? Pain? Suffering? No. No, he wasn’t afraid of death. Sure, he wasn’t the most keen on the idea of an inevitable end, but what he feared most was…”That...that I’ll be alone.” Makoto managed. “That I’ll be alone...when...when I die.”

The room was suddenly less chatty. “Wow! Original.” Monokuma deadpanned. “Welp! Pass it on to someone else, Mr. Naegi!”

Makoto looked around the room, before landing his eyes on Kyoko. “K-Kyoko.”

“MS. KIRIGIRI! TRUTH OR DARE!” Monokuma grinned.

“Truth.” Kyoko evenly stated.

“Alrighty, then! If you absolutely had to, who, in this room, would you kill?” Monokuma spoke, as if he was asking her what she wants for lunch.

“What kind of question is that?” Kyoko spat. “You’re trying to stir drama for no reason other than your sick enjoyment.”

“Well DUH, I’ve been doing that the whole time! Get with the program, Ms. Kirigiri! You’re avoiding the question.” Monokuma smirked, somehow.

Kyoko closed her eyes and thought for a moment, before returning to her neutral expression. “Aiko.”

“WHAT THE FUCK!” Aiko shouted.

“I’m sorry, but I had to pick s-” Kyoko started, before Aiko spoke louder.

“NO, Don’t even try to defend yourself, miss emotionless detective! If you HADDDD to kill someone, I’d be on your hitlist, huh?!” Aiko shouted. “UGH, I knew I shouldn’t have gone along with your bossy orders during the investigations, STUPID me, why didn’t I just roll a perception check?!”

“I didn’t say I was going to kill you! You have to understand that the question was unfair in the first place!” Kyoko tried, but Aiko was clearly not down for a conversation.

“Ms. Kirigiri, pick a student, pwetty pwease!” Monokuma reminded her.

“...Syo.” Kyoko stated.

“ALRIGHTY! Truth or dare, Ms. Genocider?”

“DARE!!!” Syo energetically responded.

“Okay!” Monokuma grinned, tapping a button on his podium as...a hologram manifested in the center of the gymnasium. It pictured a middle school boy, with a smug look on his face. Syo’s face went pale. “Destroy this hologram.”

Syo stumbled over her words, the first time Makoto had seen this happen. “You…” Syo started. “I’ll…”

“Hmm? Not gonna go through with it?” Monokuma taunted.

Syo’s breath increased in pace, going deeper and deeper with each desperate inhale. Before she finally dashed out from her stand and stomped on the hologram with her foot. It was just a projection, so it just got back up again. Syo kicked at the light projection, before sinking to her knees and sobbing.

“Syo…” Sayaka worriedly spoke, moving to help her, before Syo rose to her feet and coughed. 

“It’s quite cruel of you, Monokuma, to show me this.” Hanako spoke,beginning to tie her hair into her signature ponytail.

“Who is that?” Sakura asked.

“Well...when Toko was a little girl, she decided that she had to fall in love. She was already a wonderful writer, and she loved the idea of romance. So she picked the most popular boy in her class, and decided she was in love with him. Time and time again she was insulted and harassed for her love of him.” Hanako wiped at her eyes as she placed her glasses back on her face. “It was when they started middle school that he offered to be friends with her. Toko was elated, and so, so naive. It was only a few weeks, at a school assembly, that the boy announced to everyone that Toko thought she was actually dating him. That Toko had thought it was real. And...something inside of her just snapped.” Hanako mused.

“What do you mean...snapped?” Leon asked.

“I mean, she took a baseball bat from the sidelines and crushed his skull.” Hanako gravely stated.

“So when those motives said…” Junko recalled.

“Yes.” Hanako stated, walking over to the projector and crushing it with a single stomp. “As for who I nominate to go next, Sayaka Maizono.” Hanako briskly walked towards her stand, taking a deep breath and wiping tears from her eyes.

“Well Miss Maizono?” Monokuma started. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth? I guess…” Sayaka whispered.

“OK! Who are you scheming with? Hmm, Miss Maizono?” Monokuma smiled, a satisfied laugh coming oht of his mouth when he saw Sayaka’s eyes frantically dart around the room.

“W-What?!” Sayaka asked, shocked.

“It’s really a simple question!” Monokuma laughed. 

“It...its not what you think!” Sayakasaid, sending the confusion and distrust now pervading the room. “Me and Junko were just—“

Monokuma played a buzzer noise through his mouth. “SORRY! Time’s up! Now, since Miss Maizono nominated Miss Enoshima…”

“What?! I didn’t do that!” Sayaka protested.

Monokuma ignored her. “Miss Enoshima! Truth or dare?”

Junko swallowed, hugging herself and fiddling with her ponytails. “....Truth.”

Monokuma smiled. “Who have you killed since this killing game started?” Monokuma tilted his head, ignoring the stunned silence. 

“W. What.” Junko stated.

“Well, you and I both know you killed someone. Go ahead! Share who it was with the class.” Monokuma stated smugly.

“No...No, I,” Junko’s hands flew to her head. “I,” Junko would’ve finished her sentence, if the lights hadn’t blacked out the very second later. 

Voices shouted over each other, as the students were thrust into infinite pitch darkness. The lack of natural lighting or otherwise inside the sealed school left no room for sight, forcing them all to stumble in fear.

A large crashing noise rang out as something fell to the ground. People shouting for others' names and others screaming for everyone to calm down. None of this helped, really.

After what felt like an eternity, the lights returned. “Great! Finally!” Monokuma grinned. “Now, where were w--”

“OH MY GOD!” Asahina screamed, hands flying to her mouth as she looked upwards in horror. 

It doesn’t get easier is right. It doesn’t get easier to see fresh corpses. To see those who just had the life recently stolen from them. Much like the body that now hung from their neck, tied to a rafter. Her mis-matched eyes now blank and empty, hung the ultimate tabletop roleplayer, Aiko Umesawa.


	10. Guilt and Secrets-DEADLY LIFE

“OHOHO! A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!!”

How? How had this happened? It had only been for a moment, minutes, maybe, and suddenly, someone was dead. Aiko swung lightly, the rope around her neck flimsy, barely managing to keep her suspended.

“WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS!” Monokuma cackled. “Whichever one of you did this, hats off!”

“Aiko…” Tsubasa whispered, tears streaming down her face.

“SHIT!” Leon shouted, kicking his stand. “GODDAMNIT!”

“This means your ‘dance’ is over, right Monokuma?” Kyoko reasoned.

“Oh aBSOLUTELY NOT!” Monokuma grinned. “You’re keeping those stickers on until this trial is over! This is too juicy to NOT do!”

“You’re a freak.” Celeste spat.

“Tell me something I don’t know, Miss Ludenberg!” Monokuma laughed. “Well, you all know the drill. You have 3 hours to commence your investigation! And to help you along….” Monokuma imitated an rpg ‘item-get’ sound. “THE MONOKUMA FILE!!! Who wants to read this baby??”

“I will.” Junko sighed, holding out her hand. She caught the file in her hand, and opened it. She cleared her throat and began to read.

“Victim: Aiko Umesawa.”

“Height: 5’1”.”

“Weight: 129.4lb”

“Time of Death: 10:05 PM”

“Body Discovered by Aoi Asahina”

“Body Discovery Location: Gymnasium”

“WONDERFUL JOB! Now, I’ll let you kiddies get along with your investigation!” Monokuma grinned, before ducking under the podium, disappearing.

“Wonderful.” Celeste spat, leaning against her now empty stand. “Just lovely, really.”

“You don’t need to be so blunt, Celeste.” Kyoko sighed. “We’re in a sticky situation. Last thing we need is you being unnecessarily rude.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but maybe I think we just need to be a little annoying,” Celeste sarcastically sneered.

“Please! You can j--”

“YOU GUYS!” Makoto shouted. “Can you stop flirting over a crime scene?!”

“W-What are you implying!” Celeste shouted back, face a deep red.

“Makoto’s right, we’re getting distracted.” Kyoko continued. “We need to get Aiko’s body down.”

“God...it’s...hard to look at…” Chihiro frowned, a fist over her mouth.

“Is there anyway we can get her down?” Sayaka asked. “Cut the rope, somehow?”

Makoto squinted to look at the rope. “It’s tied onto the rafters. Maybe we could...untie it?”

“We’ll need someone who can get up there, then.” Tsubasa added. “...Sakura?”

“On it.” Sakura nodded, cracking her knuckles. She stepped over the toppled stands and onto the bleachers. She then jumped upwards, onto the top of a stand. She reached upwards, all 6 feet and 11 inches of herself untying the rope, catching Aiko’s corpse as it fell.

Sakura laid her down. “...Poor thing.”

Kyoko’s face fell. “What the…” She fell to one knee, brushing her bangs out of her face. She pushed back Aiko’s hood, turning her head to the side, revealing a massive gash in the back of her head.

“Christ...someone really went ham…” Leon sighed.

“It isn’t even blunt force trauma.” Kyoko mused. “Someone  _ stabbed  _ her in the back of the head.”

“How could someone even do that? ...Physically?” Hanako asked.

“We’d need to find the murder weapon.” Makoto reasoned. “A sharp, long weapon, but short enough that it wouldn’t pierce her face.”

“Hm.” Celeste stated. “Let’s check the warehouse. Maybe the kitchen.”

“Good starting place. We’ll split up. One half goes to the warehouse, the other goes to the kitchen.”

\---

“I hate it in here,” Tsubasa started, pushing behind a stack of boxes. “Too cramped. Too much.”

“It’s kind of the point of a warehouse.” Celeste stated.

“Any updates on our murder weapon? Anything missing?” Sayaka asked from a distance, examining a list of knives from a lower shelf, looking for missing items.

“Nothing.” Kyoko answered. “All the swords are still here, at least.”

“Why does this school even have swords?!” Junko groaned. “I mean, murder school, but at least put em some where cool!”

“I can’t help but wonder what this school used to be like.” Tsubasa mused. “Before...Monokuma.”

“I think it would’ve been the same, at some point.” Celeste stated. “Less murder, obviously. But...tense. When everyone’s ultimate, it’s hard to feel unique.”

“Hey...hey, under the Is…” Tsubasa stated, standing upright. “I think I found something!”

“Really? What is it?!” Junko shouted backwards.

“There’s a mess of dust here. It’s different from the other weapons. But there’s...a bunch of marks here. Right by the I section. But a bunch of stuff has been wiped clean off the shelves!” Sayaka explained. “Someone tried to cover their tracks,  _ hard. _ ”

“Well, it’s a start. Now, we just need to find our weapon.” Kyoko explained, coming to Sayaka’s side. “We should start l-”

“Do...do you guys smell something?” Celeste said, cutting off Kyoko.

“What would I be smelling?” Kyoko responded.

“...Burning.”

\---

“Holy shit,” Leon said, when he laid eyes on the kitchen.

“What...HAPPENED?!” Asahina shouted. She had good reason. The kitchen had been ransacked. Completely destroyed. Tables were overturned, forks and knives covering the floor, the fridge open and raided, food strewn about the room.

“The Killer obviously did something here, then.” Makoto affirmed.

“But the lights only went out for a few minutes.” Sakura said. “How could they have done something in that short window?”

“I…” Makoto sighed. “I don’t know. For all I’m aware, it should be impossible for someone to get up here and get back down to the Gym like that.”

“What if it was premeditated?” Leon tried. “Doesn’t make any sense why someone would fuck with the kitchen for no reason…”

“But what purpose does that serve?” Aoi offered. “As a distraction? For what? Maybe it had something to do with the blackout? Monokuma did seem pretty surprised.”

“PARDON-ME.” A voice said, making everyone jump up in fear. All eyes went to the kitchen door. There stood a small, white and green Monokuma, with a large backpack-like device.

“W-What is that…?” Makoto nervously asked.

“I-AM-VACKUMA.” Said the robot. “HOPE’S-PEAK-ACADEMY’S-AUTOMATED-CLEANING DEVICE.” It beeped.

“So...you do all the cleaning for Monokuma?” Asahina asked. “I mean, I never thought he did it himself, but...a dedicated robot…”

“PLEASE-MOVE.” Vackuma explained. “I-NEED-TO-CLEAN.”

Hina moved to the right to allow Vackuma to move forward. He then held out one paw, where a vacuum extended from his backpack. He then got to work, removing garbage or unsalvageable food, and righting fallen implements as he moved. It only took a few minutes before he was finished.

“Wow…” Leon laughed. “He’s good.”

“I-HAVE-NO-CONCEPT-OF-MY-OWN-ACHIEVEMENTS.” Vackuma explained.

“Wait, can I ask you a question?” Sakura started.

“WHAT”

“Why is it that you are only coming around now? Surely you do this routinely.” Sakura asked, arms crossed.

“I-AM-PROGRAMMED-TO-SWEEP-AND-CLEAN-THE-ACADEMY-AT-10:30-PM.” Vackuma explained, and left.

“Well...I guess that’s that?” Makoto started. “I guess we can sweep the room again.”

\---

_ The fire spread faster than Kyoko thought it would. _

_ It had started small. It was a simple mission. Yui was by her side, and she was going to take this scoundrel down with Kyoko right there with her. No problem. _

_ It had only become complicated when the guy turned to look at Yui. She saw red. She saw a face she hated. She saw a face that ruined her life. As she approached him to fight, the lit cigarette from the man’s lips fell to the floor, and lit a book on fire. Then it spread. It spread so, so, so fast throughout the man’s dry, wooden house. _

_ Why didn’t she try? Why didn’t Kyoko try to save Yui? To herd her through that door and to save her from the fire? Kyoko could see her. She could see her as the orange flames licked at her body, the smoke filing her lungs as she cried out for vengeance. Kyoko held out her hand, only for the fire to consume that too. Fire burned. It burned and burned and burned. You can’t stop it. The fire circles kyoko. It burns. It engulfs her, and it burns. It pours down her throat, and it burns her lungs. It burns her stomach and it burns her hair. It burns her eyes, it burns her face, it burns everything it touches. _

_ It burned everything Kyoko ever loved. _

\---

The memory left Kyoko’s head just as it had surfaced.

  
_ SLAP. _

“KYOKO! SNAP OUT OF IT!” Celeste screamed, as her worried face came into Kyoko’s view. Her features highlighted by the backlighting from the growing flame behind her. “You’re finally awake. Took you long enough. What the hell was wrong with you?!”

Kyoko cried. “Yui…” Kyoko sobbed, gloved hands covering her eyes. “I’m so sorry…”

“Who are you talking about?” Celeste asked. “Kyoko, please, keep it together. We’re in danger right now.”

“Yui! YUI, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!” Kyoko screamed, hands clutching her skull. “I DIDN’T MEAN TO LET YOU DIE! I SWEAR IT!”

Celeste slapped Kyoko across the face, leaving Kyoko shaking in place. “Kyoko...what are you going on about?!”

Tears freely poured from Kyoko’s eyes. She roughly brushed a stream of tears off her cheek. “I’m...sorry you had to see me like that.”

“What happened? You can tell me.” Celeste insisted.

“...The fire.” Kyoko stated. “I remember now. I had a friend. We...we were...we were detectives. We were partners. Her name was Yui Samidare. And...And she was my only friend.” Kyoko stated, blushing lightly. “A bad man killed her sister. She wanted revenge more than anything...it was supposed to be an easy job! A simple one! But then...it was him. His house burned with Yui in it…”

“Kyoko…”

“WHY! WHY DID I GET TO LIVE WHILE SHE DIED?!” Kyoko screamed. “IT’S NOT FAIR! IT’S NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR!” Suddenly, Kyoko stopped, as Celeste wrapped her arms around her.

“I’m sorry that you lost your friend, Kyoko.” Celeste stated, dropping her accent. “No one should have to go through that. This is the first memory that’s resurfaced, isn’t it?”

Kyoko nodded.

“What a troubling start.” Celeste pulled away, placing a hand over Kyoko’s trembling hand. “Well...first, we put out this fire. Then, we get back the rest of your memories.”

“But...but how?” Kyoko said. “You can’t guarantee anything.”

Celeste chuckled, placing a hand on the side of Kyoko’s face, rubbing her cheek with her thumb. “Oh, Kyoko. Mystery solving and Gambling are too different, I don’t think. With my skills, and your intuition, we’ll be unstoppable.”

Kyoko exhaled, and rose to her feet. “JUNKO! TSUBASA! ARE YOU SAFE?!”

“Kyoko?!” A voice screamed from far away. “Is that you?! It’s Junko! We’re good, but this shit is spreadin’ fast!”

“Good. They’re alive, at least.” Kyoko stated, trying her best to ignore the fire. “Next, we think up a plan. We’re still in a school, even if Monokuma’s running it, so there should at least be a sprinkler service.”

“But why would they not have activated? Smoke sets those off, right?” Celeste reasoned.

“Precisely. This is still Monokuma’s killing game.” Kyoko stated. “He wouldn’t just let us escape a burning warehouse. There needs to be  _ despair  _ or whatever.” Kyoko put a hand on her chin, before nodding. “There has to be a manual activation somewhere in the room. We all need to search.”

“Can you two hear me?!” Celeste shouted. “Look for a fire alarm! We need to get some sprinklers on.”

“R-Right!” Junko shouted back. “T-Totally!”

“On it!” Tsubasa confirmed. In a few moments, a heavy  _ THUNK  _ sounded, before sprinklers began spraying downwards, effectively dousing the room.

Junko and Tsubasa quickly appeared over a desk or two, joining the two groups together.

“Tsubasa,” Celeste started. “What is it you found?”

“Under the Is. There was a whole missing shelf.” Tsubasa shook her head. “No clue what was stolen.”

“Damn. That gives us a lead though. What’s a sharp implement that starts with an I?” Kyoko poised. 

“Hm…” Celeste began. “No, I’m coming up dry.”

“Me too. Junko?” Kyoko asked, surprised when no answer returned. “Junko?”

\---

Junko Enoshima fell to her knees and begged. “Please…”

“Come on, Miss Enoshima...what are you begging about?” Monokuma laughed. “You did what I asked! No need to grovel at my adorable bear feet.”

“BUT I’M GUILTY! I’m...I need to be executed.” Junko explained, tears streaming from her face. Her hand touched her face, before looking back at her fingertips smudged with foundation and blush.

“Did you not hear the rules, Miss Enoshima?” Monokuma cackled. “As long as one of the blackened is found guilty, then no extra punishments need be doled out!”

“But...But...I killed him! I killed Mondo Oowada! I’m asking you!” Junko pleaded. “You’re a complete sadist! A fanatic for despair! Why can’t you just…” Junko fell to the floor, sobbing into her arms.

“Puhuhu….Pathetic.” Monokuma grinned. “Do you really think they wont forgive you?”

“...Huh?”

“Those dumb rubes back there....they’re so delightfully naive. Makes me sick, to be honest. I mean...you feel bad, don’t you? As long as you apologized, who cares about some dumb jock you strangled?”

“What are you saying?”

“I mean...you’ll be allowed right back in.” Monokuma explained. “That Idol girl will still even like you, I bet.” Monokuma laughed. “Puhuhuhu...but that’s not what you want.” 

Junko said nothing.

“You  _ want  _ them to hate you. You  _ want  _ them to call for your head on a stick!” Monokuma cackled. “Either you’re some sort of masochist or you’re just plain dumb.” Monokuma patted Junko on the head in false reassurance. “Wish for death all you want. I promise you ain’t gonna get it, kid.”

\---

“God, I’m an idiot.” Kyoko sighed, pinching her nose in annoyance. “Ice Pick.” Kyoko sighed, taking the bloodied Ice Pick out of the utensils hanging from the kitchen.

“Quite the...strange choice.” Sayaka proposed.

“The killer was probably in a hurry.” Aoi added. “I mean, they didn't have a lot of time to work with, right?”

“True…” Kyoko sighed. “Any update on Junko?” She asked.

Makoto sighed. “No. She’s gone completely missing. I have no clue where she is.”

“If she misses the trial…” Aoi worried.

“It’s instant execution.” Sayaka gravely finished.

“...Speaking of which, Sayaka,” Leon started. “What were you and Junko ‘scheming’ about? Monokuma mentioned something about that during truth or dare, right?”

  
“Leon!” Makoto chastised.

“No, no it’s fine.” Sayaka inhaled. “Junko confided in me. ...She told me that she killed Mondo.”

“What?!” Celeste asked, shocked.

“I know, right? She told me that Monokuma gave her a special motive. Either kill someone, or he’d kill her sister.”

“That bastard…” Kyoko grumbled.

“She feels terrible. She...she wanted me to help her….kill herself. She was going to frame herself, and try to get herself executed along with the blackened during the trial...” Sayaka whispered, leaving the room silent.

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “ATTENTION! AHEM! AHEM! All students, would you pwetty pwease report to the symbol of strength statue? Let’s get this show on the ROAD, all right????? Thank you!” _

Monokuma’s voice blipped out.

“Welp.” Leon stated. “No time like the present.”

\---

“JUNKO!” Sayaka shouted upon the student’s approach to the statue. Junko stood there, apparently she’d been standing there, arms crossed, face abject. She smiled at hearing Sayaka’s voice.

“Hey.” Was all she mustered.

“Where did you go? It was like...a full hour!” Sayaka protested.

“...I needed to sort some shit out.” Junko sighed. “Sorry for flaking out on you. Did you...tell them?”

Sayaka sighed. “Yes. I’m sorry.”

Junko turned to the rest of the group. “I understand if you hate me, or whatever.”

“Hate you?” Kyoko started. “Don’t worry about it.”

“It sounds like you didn’t have a choice.” Makoto sympathized, along with a nod from Leon.

“We’ve done wrong things, Junko.” Hanako smiled. “But your goodness shines through. I can tell.”

As words of reassurement and affirmation piled on, Junko had to fight back tears. “Thanks, guys.”

“AHEM!” Monokuma coughed. “BARF! This is heartmelting or whatever, but I’m BORED and we got a murder to solve!”

“Right…” Makoto grumbled.

“ALRIGHTY! OPEN SESAME!” Monokuma grinned as the statue transformed into an elevator. “SINGLE FILE, NICE AND EASY!”

“Who stuck a twig up his ass?” Leon groaned.

“I’M IN A MOOD, MR. KUWATA!” Monokuma shot back as the class filled into the elevator. The trip was quicker. Maybe it’s because there was less bodies inside of it.

The trial grounds were just as terrifying as Makoto remembered. Every time, he thinks he was used to it, the painfully stale air, the only growing pile of effigies, the distant stench of blood, it piled up. Makoto was repulsed by this place.

“WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME! TAKE YOUR STANDS, EVERYONE!!! LET’S GET THIS TRIAL ROLLING!” Makoto did as he was told, taking a stance on Podium #1.

“Now, I’m not gonna be a redundant bear and explain the rules of the trial to ya AGAIN, because I don’t wanna and it’s my killing game. You guys find the Blackened, you pick the right guy you win, ya don’t, ya lose. Got it?” Monokuma did not wait for an answer. “GREAT! LET’S GET ON WITH THE TRIAL! ALL RISE!”

“Hmmmm..” Celeste began. “You see, this is an...interesting murder.”

“How so?” Sakura asked.

“I don’t have an exact recording of how much time passed, and how long the blackout lasted, but it couldn't have been more than 10 minutes, yes?” Celeste elaborated.

“True.” Kyoko continued. “The killer would have to run upstairs, get the ice pick from the warehouse, kill Aiko, hang her, hide the pick, and get back to the gym.”

“To do all that in such a short amount of time...it just doesn’t seem humanly possible!” Chihiro stated.

“I suppose it  _ could  _ be two people…” Tsubasa poised. “But the implications of how a trial would work seems a little risky…”

“It’s not a possibility we should be ruling out.” Kyoko affirmed.

“Pardon me,” Hanako intercut. “I know it’s redundant, considering we were all in the same place, but could we state our alibis?”

“Really? I mean...if it would make you feel better...sure?” Makoto, Podium #1 cleared his throat. “I was in the gym.”

“Same here.” Leon, podium #2 confirmed.

“This really seems like it’s for the sake of some running gag, but I was in the gymnasium.” Sayaka, Podium #3 said.

“I was still in the gym.” Chihiro, Podium #4 stated.

Byakuya Togami could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Byakuya Togami was dead, and Podium #5 was empty.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Kiyotaka Ishimaru was dead, and Podium #6 was empty.

“I was participating in truth or dare.” Celestia, Podium #7, stated.

Iore Kitabayashi could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Iore Kitabayashi was dead, and Podium #8 was empty.

Yasuhiro Hagakure could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Yasuhiro Hagakure was dead, and Podium #9 was empty.

Kiriko Nishizawa could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Kiriko Nishizawa was dead, and Podium #10 was empty.

“Gymnasium.” Kyoko gravely spoke from Podium #11.

“I was in the gym, incredibly angry at Monokuma.” Sakura stated at Podium #12.

“Awww, she does care!!” Monokuma grinned.

“Same here. I was watching Truth or Dare go down.” Tsubasa, Podium #13, stated.

“Gym.” Junko snarled from Podium #14.

“Syo was enduring a traumatic flashback in the gymnasium.” Hanako pointedly stated, looking at Monokuma, from Podium #15.

Mondo Oowada could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Mondo Oowada was dead, and Podium #16 was empty.

“I was also in the gym, as you could’ve guessed.” Hina shrugged, standing at Podium #17.

Aiko Umesawa could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Aiko Umesawa was dead, and Podium #18 was empty.

Kotomi Ikuta could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Kotomi Ikuta was dead, and Podium #19 was empty.

“Now...I wanna talk about the...improbable murder method.” Kyoko began.

“We know Aiko was hung, but she was killed before that, right?” Tsubasa informed.

“Correct.” Sayaka affirmed.

“She was stabbed with an ice pick, to be specific.” Kyoko added.

“It just…” Hina trailed off. “It feels like it’ impossible for everything to happen so fast like that! The blackout, getting the pick, stabbing Aiko, and stringing her up? No way any of us could pull that off.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. There’s one fact here, in the end. One of us killed Aiko.” Celeste began. “Let’s say that the killer did indeed succeed in their plan. Who would have something to gain from removing Aiko from the game?”

Everyone looked around at each other with suspicious gazes.

“The only motive this time was Truth or Dare, right?” Hanako proposed. “Would anyone here have a secret they wanted to keep?”

“Me, I guess. But...I already spilled all my shit out.” Junko cut in. “I get it if you suspect me, though.”

“Then we’re at an impasse.” Sakura sighed. “Again.”

“...Wait.” Makoto stated. “Not quite.”

“Thought of something?” Leon asked. “Come on, spill!”

“Why did the killer put the ice pick into the kitchen?” Makoto said. “The Ice Pick was in the warehouse, right?”

“You’re right, but didn’t Vackuma just clean everything up? Maybe he just...assumed it went in the kitchen.” Tsubasa inquired.

“I doubt Monokuma’s personal cleaning robot would just...assume that.” Celeste added. “I’m assuming it would know where to put everything.”

“That’s what I’m thinking. That the killer didn’t know where the Ice Pick goes.” Makoto stated.

“It’s...something. But that doesn’t give us any leads.” Sakura trailed.

“Not too fast.” Kyoko said, bracing her hands on the podium. She smiled. “I think this is the development we needed.”

“What? It’s a misplaced ice pick. There’s absolutely nothing we can extrapolate from that.” Junko grumbled.

“I’d like to look over the murder again.” Kyoko began. “The lights go out for no longer than...let’s say 2 minutes. The killer had already been planning a murder, and brought an ice pick with them to Truth or Dare.” Kyoko smiled.

“Then, panicking, they run upstairs and get rope. They can’t see in the dark, so they trash the kitchen before finding some rope in the warehouse.” Kyoko explained. “Then, they strung up Aiko and stabbed her, hiding it through the chaos.”

“That’s asinine.” Sayaka protested.

“Exactly. It was by pure luck that they did it.”

“I doubt it was luck…” Tsubasa whispered.

“There’s no other explanation. They wanted to get it done in order to avoid telling whatever secret they’re hiding.” Kyoko shrugged. “It’s a shame. We can’t even trace it to the killer. How good for the lights to go out…”

“The lights went out for 5 minutes.” Tsubasa fought back. “If it had gone out for two minutes, then it’d be impossible.”

“Well, but the lights aren’t even accessible. None of us even knew where they are.” Kyoko shrugged.

“No, the lights are located on the first floor, by the trash room.”

“But how do you explain how easily the killer navigated in the darkness? It’s raw luck.” Kyoko goaded.

“Wrong! The killer could’ve mapped out a path beforehand!”

“But how could--”

“IT WASN’T LUCK!” Tsubasa roared. “I messed with the light system so that it would go off for EXACTLY 5 minutes. It didn’t matter when it happened, it just had to happen! Then, I would quickly tie up the person next to me and stab them! Everything I needed was hidden under the stand! The only reason I ever set FOOT in the kitchen was to dispose of the weapon, but that glorified roomba was in there! I made a mess, but I still made it back in time for the lights to turn back on! It was the….perfect….” Tsubasa gulped, realizing she had just confessed. “...crime.”

  
“Gotcha.” Kyoko smiled, happy with herself.

“How did you…” Tsubasa whispered.

“I didn’t. I knew that this scheme was too complex for anyone to get away with it. It had to be someone with way too much pride in their plot.” Kyoko explained. “You couldn’t stand the thought that we thought the killer was some lucky idiot. You exposed yourself, Tsubasa.”

Tsubasa did not respond. “...You…”

“What? Are you going to threaten me?”

“I hate all of you.” Tsubasa spat. “I hate you...I hate you...I hate you…”

“Tsubasa…?”

“SHUT UP!” Tsubasa screamed, whirling around to Asahina. “I’ve had everything taken from me...my family, my friends, my wealth…” She clawed at her hair, muddling up it’s usually prisitine appearance. “And now...my one chance at freedom….you take this away from me too?!”

“What is she talking about…?” Chihiro whispered.

“Ever since I was a child...I’ve had to fight. I was born into poverty! I had to claw my out of the depths, and I couldn’t bring my parents and siblings with me. I love the violin. I love it like it’s a part of me. But even then, I started to hate it. Playing that damned instrument became a 24/7 slog...I couldn’t find the love in it anymore…” Tsubasa reared up and slammed her fists against the podium. “I had to do everything….for my dream...my dream of a happy life with my family! I’ll...I’ll…. ** _I’LL KILL ANYONE WHO GETS IN THE WAY OF MY DREAM!”_ **

Tsubasa launched off of her podium, running at Kyoko through the middle of the trial grounds, vaulting over Kyoko’s and grabbing her by the throat.

The room exploded into clamoring voices and arms pulling Tsubasa off of Kyoko, throwing her against the floor. 

Tsubasa screamed, her voice inhuman. Her voice was animalistic, feral. “AAH!” She roared, pushing herself up onto her feet. 

Kyoko coughed roughly, gloved hand cradling her neck. Deep, red marks covered her neck, with indents from Tsubasa’s nails. “Tsubasa…”

  
“I won’t rest until my dream is realized! I’ll kill you...I’ll kill you...I’ll kill you...I promise…I’ll KILL YOU A--ACK!!” A metallic collar clamped around Tsubasa’s neck, dragging her back against the execution elevator. The magnetic clamps released, leaving Tsubasa dirtied and injured.

“Uh uh uh, Miss Kamii! I’m all for violence, but you’ve already been proven guilty. I think an outburst like that justifies skipping over the voting period….” Monokuma laughed. 

Tsubasa screamed, sprinting at Monokuma, kicking over his massive chair.

“UWAAAAAA!!!!!” Monokuma wailed as he fell to the floor, only for Tsubasa to kick his body further away from the chair.

“You...You trapped me in here. I won’t rest until every single one of you...all of your miserable bodies burn in the deepest circles of--” Tsubasa’s voice turned into a strangled noise as thin, white ropes pierced her body from all angles.

“Violence against headmaster monokuma…” Monokuma cackled. “Is Strictly Prohibited.”

Tsubasa stood in place, strung up by what Makoto realized were violin strings. “Y…” Tsubasa tried to speak, as blood flowed into her lungs.

“LET’S GET IT GOING, EVERYONE! THRILLS! CHILLS! KILLS! ITTTTTTTT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!!!” Monokuma cackled as glass walls rose around Tsubasa, the students backing away as Monokuma resumed his seat.

The screen changed, the glass walls clouding. 

  
  


**CONGRATULATIONS!**

**TSUBASA KAMII HAS BEEN FOUND GUITY**

  
  
  


**TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!**

The sprite of Tsubasa being dragged away seemed all too real as the screen displayed a large title card. A few violin strings were played, before it shifted to read:

**DEATH ROW ACCOMPANIMENT**

The screen turned off, instead the glass walls unclouded, revealing Tsubasa standing in place. The music started off slow, as Tsubasa eerily twitched from side to side, Tsubasa’s hands hanging limp as she was jerked around, razor sharp violin strings stabbed through her wrists. The music got faster. Tsubasa’s movements began to take more violent, as more strings cut through her flesh, barely visible. The music gained more and more speed, more violins coming in through the background. Tsubasa moved quicker, and quicker, her body strung across the glass case, the strings whipping her against the walls as Monokuma’s punishment stabbed further into Tsubasa.As the music ended suddenly, the strings went taught against Tsubasa’s fast jerking movements, slicing their way out of her body. Leaving Tsubasa in a pile of pieces as the music gently ended.

\---

The first thing Makoto did was vomit. He could faintly feel Leon’s hand on his back, trying to comfort him.

“This...I won’t stand for this.” Sakura stated, arms crossed in anger. “Do you feel no anger, Monokuma? No guilt?”

“Not really! Puhuhuhu! Do you kids not get it?”

“NOT GET WHAT?!” Chihiro screamed, tears running down her face.

“That I am only doing this...for one reason!” Monokuma grinned. “For despair.”

Despair. That’s what he could call it. Makoto could call it despair. A feeling that eats you whole. Like a fish deep swimming in the deep of your stomach, eating your insides and tearing you apart. A feeling that makes you suffer before it kills you.

Despair. That’s what Makoto felt.


	11. Stumble Over The Finish Line-DAILY LIFE

Stairs. Even the little things seemed wrong. Seemed...twisted. Seemed like it was a trap.

And even now, the stairs that lead up to the fourth floor, plain and metallic, seemed like the jaws of a shark, waiting to snap closed on Makoto.

Images of last night still hung in his mind, just to remind him of the horrors he was stuck in. Still, he took the stairs one at a time, a determined frown set on his face. Makoto searched the floor methodically, holding out and searching for any doors.

To his right was a bright blue door, labeled with the words “Data Center”. Makoto turned the handle tentatively, only for the door not to budge. Looks like he wouldn’t be getting in there.

Makoto abandoned the Data Center, and turned down a long hallway. A bright purple door stood in solitude at the end of it. Makoto pushed open the door labeled with a piano. The Music Room, the sign said.

\---

It was hardly even a classroom. The roof dwarfed Makoto, with hundreds of pew-like chairs lined up, facing a prominent stage. A large pipe organ was installed against the wall, casting an imposing shadow over the whole room.

“Makoto.” A voice said, nearly scaring Makoto out of his skin. He whirled around only to find Kyoko facing him.

“Oh! Hey, Kyoko. W-What’s going on?” Makoto asked, before Kyoko grabbed his collar and spoke directly into his ear.

“I have something I need to show you. Follow me, and act natural.” Kyoko let go, and started off. After Makoto shook off his initial shock, he followed her closely. Kyoko left through the music room, and walked towards a pair of bathrooms near the staircase.

“...What, bathrooms?” Makoto asked.

“Exactly. There’s a closet in the boy’s bathroom.” Kyoko said. “But not the girl’s.”

“How do you know that, Kyoko?”

“I did some sleuthing, don’t worry about it.” Kyoko handwaved. “I need you to go into that bathroom and investigate the closet for me.”

“Kyoko, I think you’re just being paranoid.” Makoto tried, though Kyoko had already pushed him through the door.

The bathroom had 4 stalls lining the wall, the fourth of which operated as a storage closet, guessing by the closet label on the door. Makoto pushed it open, cocking his head to the side. Kyoko was probably spitballing. 

Still, Makoto leaned forward and pressed against the wall. Nothing. Makoto tried again, not expecting much, only for the wall to swing open.

“Holy shit…”

The room was small, cramped, and dark. Cobwebs hung loosely from the corners, the room empty and bare aside from a desk and a bookcase. Makoto hesitated, moving to climb into the room, before a loud clunking noise erupted from the room, causing Makoto to fall back and scramble the wall closed.

He drew back, moving slowly and carefully, before sprinting full speed out of the bathroom.

“Back so soon?” Kyoko inquired, an eyebrow cocked.

“I...I saw like...like, a storage room? It was...stripped bare.” Makoto panted. “Like someone had left in a hurry.”

Kyoko cursed into her glove. “The Mastermind must’ve known I was snooping around.”

Makoto gazed down. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kyoko responded. “If anything, this just means I have to look harder.”

“Kyoko…” Makoto whispered, a hand reaching out to her crossed arms, awkwardly landing on her upper arm. “You don’t have to run yourself ragged, like this.”

“I do.” Kyoko stated. “We have to keep looking for a way out. For some...proof to point to the Mastermind’s identity. Our lives are on the line.”

“Kyoko, I’m worried about you.” Makoto insisted. “I’m your friend, right?”

Kyoko said nothing.

“Well, I know I’m your friend. And I know that you can’t keep this up much longer. Something’s gotta give, Kyoko, and we don’t know what’s up Monokuma’s sleeve.”

“What’s your point.” Kyoko said, deflated.

“Take a break. Come on. Let’s just look around the floor.” Makoto smiled.

Kyoko sighed. “I suppose.” She rose to her feet.

“HEY!” Leon shouted distantly, rounding the stairwell and running up to the two of them. “Didn’t know you guys were up here!”

Makoto grinned, meeting Leon halfway. “Yeah, me and Kyoko thought we’d get the search started early!”

“Well, mind if I tag along?” Leon smiled, a hand scratching his neck.

“The more the merrier.”

\---

Opposite the Data Center was a bland door. Makoto read off the label over the door. “...Teacher’s Lounge?”

Leon opened the door, showing a stifling set of office desks lined up in neat rows. Each one has an identical display of flowers, presumably to add flair. A few cardboard boxes were packed next to some of the desks.

“Pretty boring lounge.” Leon grumbled.

“I doubt Monokuma would pay his employees properly, if he had any.” Kyoko continued, picking up one of the floral arrangements, nodding when she found they were plastic.

Makoto laughed, continuing to search the room as he had begun to do with the music room, before Kyoko called him over.

“Hey...what’s this?” Leon asked, squatting in front of one of the cardboard boxes. He picked up what looked like a polaroid photo.

Makoto walked over and examined the photo over Leon’s shoulder. Pictured was Kiyotaka Ishimaru sound asleep on Mondo Oowada’s shoulder. Kiyotaka seemed to be snoring quite loudly, though Mondo didn’t care. Both were wearing brown hope’s peak uniforms, Kiyotaka’s perfectly done, while mondo forgoed the jacket all together, having unbuttoned his dress shirt and rolled up the sleeves. Mondo has an embarrassed smile on his face. The windows were wide open, the sunlight pouring into the room.

“Another one of these…?” Makoto whispered.

“Same uniforms too.” Leon added.

“...Why would someone just leave these lying around? The other--” Kyoko began, before being cut off.

“HEY! GIMME THAT!” Monokuma shouted, coming out of nowhere and snatching the photo up. “THAT IS MY PRIVATE PROPERTY!”

“Hey!” Leon reached for it, trying to rip the photo out of Monokuma’s paws, before Monokuma quickly shoved it in his mouth.

“Now you can’t even have it!” Kyoko protested.

“Not true, Miss Kirigiri! My brian is a photocopier! Puhuhuhu!”

\---

Trying to push that interaction as far out of his mind as he could, Makoto followed Kyoko and Leon as they marched over to a larger room, with strong, bolted steel doors. A large plaque hung above the entrance, reading: “CHEMISTRY LAB.”

Kyoko held the door open for Makoto and Leon as the trio entered. The room was stacked with various countertops and tables, obviously intended for lab work. However, they were all wiped clear. No ultimate chemist was present in the school right now, obviously.

Opposite the entrance stood Aoi Asahina and Sakura Oogami. Aoi sat on the counter, making up for her Sakura’s height difference. She kicked her legs absentmindedly, a frown on her face. Sakura’s back was to the door, making her expression unreadable. Though judging by Aoi’s expression, their discussion was...serious.

“Aoi? Sakura?” Leon said as the trio entered, abruptly cutting the pairs conversation short. They immediately shot to attention, Aoi’s face brightening, while Sakura’s face came into view, matching her partner’s expression.

“MAKOTO!” Aoi shouted, hopping off the counter and pointing at Makoto. “LISTEN UP!”

“W-What did I do?!” Makoto protested, holding up his hands in defense.

“Nothing! But this is important!” She gestured to a large cabinet full of bottles next to her. “LOOK AT ALL THESE PROTEINS!”

“These are high class…” Sakura commented, picking a bottle from the cabinet. “No way…”

  
“What?” Hina asked.

“They even have Proteinzyme-X! The most high quality proteins on the market…” Sakura gushed. “Nothing compared to the garbage in the warehouse.”

Makoto gave a worried glance at Sakura and Aoi, glancing down at his feet. He worried about the two of them. Kyoko walked past him and up to the cabinet, swinging the door open. She started sifting through them.

Leon slung an arm around Makoto’s shoulders. “What’re you doing, Kyoko? It’s just a bunch of jock stuff.”

“Hey!” Hina shouted.

“It’s called the Chemistry Lab.” Kyoko said. “There are a lot of chemicals. Not just proteins.”

“You’re being overdramatic.” Makoto sighed.

“Really?” Kyoko stated, turning around and holding up a small bottle labeled in neon red and black colors, reading “ARSENIC” in obvious lettering.

“Oh, shit!” Leon cursed. “That’s...really not a good sign.”

Kyoko put the bottle back, and began moving around bottles. “There’s a multitude of poisons here. All lethal at any dosage.”

Hina and Sakura peered over her shoulder, each one cringing. “Well...they’re all clearly labelled. It’d be very hard to grab one by mistake.”

“Still.” Kyoko stated, moving some bottles around. Her hand brushed a few proteins to the side, before pushing any bottles with loud colors and poison labels to the far back.

Makoto didn’t feel right. Poison being so readily available...seemed dangerous. After everything happened that had happened thus far in the Killing Game, a murder weapon like this...seemed very obvious.

\---

Kyoko Kirigiri stood in front of the rich oak wood door. Her gloved fingers lightly traced the golden engravement nailed into it. The Headmasters Office.

Kyoko wasn’t sure why, but only the sight of the door instilled...sadness, in Kyoko. It was bittersweet, in a strange, sad sort of way. Like she wanted to apologize. The doorknob was the same golden as the engraving. Her finger ghosted over the handle. She looked at the keyhole with pity in her eyes. Her hand shook as it wrapped around the doorknob.

Of course, it didn’t budge. She didn’t know what she expected to happen.

“Snooping, eh, Miss Kirigiri?” Monokuma drawled. Kyoko glanced over her shoulder, then looked back to the door.

“What do you want?” She spat.

"Nothin', nothin." Monokuma giggled. "It's just curious that you were drawn to this door specifically!"

Kyoko gritted her teeth. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Puhuhuhuhu…” Monokuma giggled, before his laughter exploded into a fit of cackling. “PUHUHUHUHU!!!”

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

As the announcement began, Monokuma held direct eye contact with Kyoko.

_ “Attention! All Hope’s Peak students! Could you please report to the gymnasium for a super special announcement???? This ain’t optional, in case you were getting ideas. See you there!” _

“See you there, Miss Kirigiri!”

\---

“Wonder what fucked up thing he’s gonna do this time.” Toko grumbled, rubbing her neck with a frown on her face. “Throw us in a pit of sharks? Maybe he’ll just kill us all and get it over with…”

“Too easy.” Celeste sighed.

“I hate that you’re right…” Toko groaned back.

“Come on...let’s at least  _ try  _ and get a positive angle to look at this from!” Sayaka stated, crossing her arms.

“Sayaka, I get that you’re trying to lift our spirits, but not the time.” Junko added.

“Sorry…”

“Where is Monokuma?” Sakura asked. “We’re all here.”

“Don’t tell me he’s flakin’ on his own murder meeting!” Leon grumbled.

“He’ll be here.” Kyoko stated. “I know it.”

On cue, Monokuma popped up from behind the desk. “HELLO HELLO HELLO!!!! SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU ALL!!”

“Cut the crap, asshole!” Junko shouted. “Just tell us what the fuck you want with us!”

“Waaah!! So mean, Miss Enoshima!!!” Monokuma pouted.

“Ugh. You’re the worst.”

“I KNOW THAT!!! Besides, you guys were TALKING about me!!! I wanted a dramatic, awe-inspiring introduction!” Monokuma protested.

“I guess we’ve just gotten desensitized.” Celeste frowned.

“That’s...sad.” Sakura grumbled.

“SHUT UP! SHUSH! SHHHHHHHHHHUSH!” Monokuma grumbled. “I’VE BEEN SITTING ON THIS ALL! DAY! UGH!” Monokuma groaned, rolling around on his podium in anger. 

“You’re acting like a child…” Toko sighed.

“DON’T CALL ME A CHILD!! I’M A BEAR!!!” Monokuma shouted. “UGH! Whatever! MOTIVE TIME, GIMME A DRUM ROLL!”

None of the students caved to get a drum roll. Monokuma, frowning petulantly. A canned drum roll began to play from the gym speakers. “And the motive is…….!!!!” Monokuma began. “One of you kiddies...is A TRAITOR!”

The room suddenly shot to attention, shook out of their boredom. One of them had been working for Monokuma the whole time? There was a traitor?

“NO!” Aoi shouted. “That’s not true! That’s...that’s A LIE!”

“Puhuhuhu!!!” Monokuma giggled. “It’s the furthest thing from a lie, Miss Asahina! One of you has totally double crossed your little friend group! Puhuhuhu, what’s so hard to believe about that?”

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” Aoi shot back.

“W-Well…” Toko started, making Aoi turn on her heel. “All I’m saying is that Tsubasa was….a total freak, but she didn’t show it until she broke during the trial. It’s...not too farfetch’d to think that one of us was lying the whole time ....”

“NO! STOP IT!” Asahina snapped. “None of us would betray each other. It’s stupid to think anything else!”

Sakura placed a hand on Aoi’s shoulder. “Calm down, Hina.”

“NO! You’re...you’re all being ridiculous!” Aoi fought. “YOU’RE ALL OUT OF YOUR MINDS!”

“Look,” Kyoko began. “We don’t want to believe there’s a traitor here, either! But all of our lives are on the line. We can’t afford  _ not  _ to take this seriously.”

Aoi’s hands balled into fists. “No...NO!” She turned on her heel and stormed out of the gym, throwing the door open and sprinting down the hallway. 

“Hina!” Sakura called, hot on her tail.

The students looked at the door wistfully. Some sad. Some aggravated. Some worried.

“You know...I’m just saying...running out dramatically is EXACTLY what a traitor would do! Puhuhuhu!” 

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATER!!!**

** As long as you're human, there will always come a point where you wish you could do things differently. Even a baseball player in the major leagues... Even a world class gambler, swindling old geezers... Even a famous idol who started her career as a backup dancer on a sketch comedy show... Every human has regrets, has things they'd like to go back and change! But I don't! Cuz I'm a bear. DUH!**

\---

Toko Fukawa angrily threw down her hand of cards onto the dining hall table. She put her head on her arm, holding the top of her head with her other arm. “You’re totally cheating.”

“How would I even cheat at War, Toko.” Celeste laughed. “It’s literally just drawing a bigger number.”

“I-I don’t know, loser! I’m not the cheater!” Toko grumbled, hands messing up her bangs.

Celeste laughed. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Fukawa.”

The dining hall door slid open as Celeste shuffled her deck of cards back into one another, Toko sighing dramatically into her arms. Chihiro Fujisaki walked through the door, clearly nervous.

She walked over to the chairs aside the dining hall table, before placing Alter Ego’s laptop in front of her. She opened the screen, and anxiously typed something. A pause, before Chihiro grumbles.

“Can I help you with something, Chihiro?” Celeste asked, placing her freshly reshuffled deck on the table in front of her. Toko made grabby hands at the deck.

Chihiro snapped her head to the left to face Celeste, seemingly absorbed in her work. Celeste absentmindedly cut the deck and handed half to Toko.

“I...need to connect to the school’s wi-fi network.” Chihiro explained. She took a pointed glance at the security camera, complete with mounted gun, sitting in the corner of the room. Celeste got the picture.

Toko got up from her seat, watching the camera annoyed, before sitting down next to Chihiro. She whispered something to her, of which Celeste could only make out mentions of the library.

Chihiro closed her laptop, and stood up. She walked over to the door, before motioning for Celeste and Toko to follow.

\---

Chihiro placed Alter Ego down on the bench in the sauna waiting room. She opened the screen, and pressed a few keys, unmuting the laptop.

Chihiro typed a message. “Hello, it’s me, Celeste and Toko, Alter Ego.” 

“Oh! Hello, Miss Ludenberg, Miss Fukawa, Miss Fujisaki! It’s lovely to see you!” Alter Ego chirped.

“Good to see you too.” Celeste said.

“Nice to see ya.” Toko added.

“Now,” Celeste started. “What’s this about needing an internet connection? I thought you already had that, right?” Chihiro dictated her message.

“I know there are more files in the system. They’re stored somewhere else. My guess is an internal system, connected to the school’s internet servers. And I can’t do that from the sauna…”

“Well,” Celeste asked. “Why couldn’t you have done that before?”

“The files I decoded were loose.” Alter Ego explained after Chihiro dictated the message. “Likely, monokuma left those files there accidentally. If I want to get you any real info, I’d need access to the school’s internet. The internet doesn’t reach into the sauna...probably by design.”

“Technology sucks…” Toko groaned.

“It’s vital that we get Alter Ego connected to the internet.” Chihiro states. “I’m...I’m going to the library. There, I’m going to try and connect.”

“Do you want us to go with you, Chihiro?” Celeste asked.

“Yeah, I’m down.” Toko added.

Chihiro smiled. “Thank you...but...no. I need to go do it alone. I’m not gonna be scared anymore. I feel like I’ve been useless to you guys throughout this whole thing...but...I wanna put some work in!”

“Chihiro,” Toko started. “Don’t sell yourself short. The Ultimate Programmer kind of made a self adapting AI program complete with the ability to like. Hack a super tight security system? You’re like, one of the coolest people I know.”

Chihiro blushed. “Thank you…” She took a deep breath. “Wish me luck, I guess!”

“If you need any help,” Celeste nodded. “Come talk to me, Toko, any of us. We’ll always be there.”

Chihiro smiled.

\---

Leon screamed into Makoto’s pillow as Makoto laughed.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME” Leon shouted, muffled through the pillow.

“Hey, it doesn’t matter what Junko said!  _ I  _ think your weird facial hair is cute.” Makoto insisted.

“BUT YOU JUST CALLED IT WEIRD!!! SO YOU ADMIT IT!” Leon shouted back, making Makoto double over. “BESIDES, YOU’RE BIASED!”

A knock came from the door. Makoto tried his best to stop laughing as Leon pouted on the bed. He walked over to the door, opening it as Kyoko prepared to knock once again.

“Makoto, Leon, come with me. It’s urgent.” Kyoko stated.

“How did you know Leon was here?”

“I assumed.”

“Fair.”   
  


“Like I said.” Kyoko pushed. “It’s urgent.” Leon quickly stood up, fixing his hair and following Kyoko as she led them out into the hallway. At the end of the hallway, crouched on the floor was Aoi Asahina, hands clamped around her mouth. She looked like she’d just seen a ghost.

“Hina? What’s...what’s wrong?” Makoto asked, crouching next to her.

“I’ve been trying to talk to her since she came to me.” Kyoko added.

“Can you uh,” Leon tried. “Show us what you saw? Or where it was?”

Aoi suddenly stood up, taking a deep breath. She nodded, turned to the right, and began to walk. It took a moment to sink in, but the three of them readily followed afterwards.

Aoi didn’t wait up. She walked fast and without patience, up to the third floor, and to the closed door to the Rec Room. She pointed at the small glass opening on the Rec Room door.

Makoto moved past her, peering into the tall door with all 5 feet and 5 inches of his body. His eyes widened when he saw Sakura Oogami, sitting on one of the benches in the Rec Room.

“She’s...not moving.” Leon commented, voice shaky. Hina didn’t comment. Sakura’s head was bowed.

“Did something happen, Aoi?” Kyoko inquired.

“I was just...walking past and I saw her. I went to say hi...but the door wouldn’t open. I called her name but…” Hina began, before she trailed off.

”Shit. What should we do?” Leon asked, scratchin the back of his neck.

”We need to get into the room.” Kyoko reasoned.

”The door’s locked.” Makoto reminded her. “Breaking the lock would be destroying school property. And we know what happens if we break the rules.”

“We’re going to force our way in.” Kyoko bluntly said.

“Are you crazy?!” Makoto shouted, though Kyoko was already kicking the door, finding slight resistance.

“The rec room doesn’t have a lock.” Kyoko informed. “It’s a door on a hinge, it just pushes open. Something is blocking it.”

“Weird.” Leon sighed.

“As long as I don’t break the door down...I’m not violating school rules, right?” Kyoko smirked.

“Alright, we need something to break the door down with. A broom, we could get something from the trophy room in the gym, or--” Leon couldn’t finish as Aoi sprinted past him, throwing herself at the door full speed. The door budged, but still didn’t open.

“Hina, what are you doing?!” Makoto wildly asked. Aoi didn’t respond. She just shoulder bashed the door again, tears bubbling up around her eyes.

Hina held her arm in pain, but took a deep breath, before letting out a battle cry and running up to the door full speed, finally knocking a small folding chair aside and opening up the room.

“SAKURA!” Aoi screamed, sprinting up to the chair she was sat on. “Sakura…” Aoi’s eyes widened. Her voice broke. “Sakura. Sakura, no. Sakura, talk to me, come on, talk to me…”

The others quietly walked into the room. Makoto’s hands covered his mouth in shock.

“Sakura…” Hina threw her arms around her unmoving body. “Sakura. Sakura...please….forgive me...Sakura…” Aoi wept, her body shaking with every sob, as her tears fell on the unmoving, dead body of Sakura Oogami, Ultimate Martial Artist.


	12. Stumble Across the Finish Line-DEADLY LIFE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: SUICIDE

_ “Now how about that!!! A BODY has been discovered! As of right now, all students will have 3 hours to investigate the crime scene. Afterwards, the class trial will commence! See you there!” _

“Sakura’s...dead?” Makoto whispered, gazing at Aoi as she cried into Sakura’s lifeless shoulder.

“We didn’t make it in time.” Kyoko stated, hand on her chin. “It happened again.”

“I…” Leon started. “I should go get the others.” He scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly, and exited the room.

“Hina,” Kyoko started, approaching Sakura’s body. “I need to examine Sakura’s body.”

  
  


Aoi looked up at her, then back down at Sakura. She silently stood up and moved to the side of the chair. Kyoko nodded, and sank to her feet, checking Sakura’s body for any external signs of damage. Makoto couldn’t do anything but sit there, worriedly watching.

Minutes passed before Leon returned, with the rest of the students in tow.

“Huh...Sakura?!” Junko exclaimed.

“Oh god…” Sayaka added, hands flying to her mouth.

“Cherry Blossom’s dead?!” Syo exclaimed. “Come on!”

“I thought we all agreed that murder was bad?” Celeste added.

“Well...maybe the traitor wanted to cover their identity?” Chihiro mumbled. “I don’t know why they’d kill Sakura, though…”

“HELLO HELLO HELLO!!!” Monokuma shouted, interrupting the students. “How are we all doing on this fine day?!”

Aoi wasted no time. She marched over to the bear, towering over him with hatred in her eyes. “Monokuma file. Now.”

“No need to get HASTY, Miss Asahina!” Monokuma giggled. “Sit back! Relax! Approach the murder with a relaxed attitude!”

“File. Now.” Aoi spat. Monokuma pouted, but still placed the file in Aoi’s hand.

“Victim: Sakura Oogami.”

“Height: 6’8”.”

“Weight: 238.7lb”

“Time of Death: 3:00 AM”

“Body Discovered by Aoi Asahina”

“Body Discovery Location: Rec Room”

Aoi closed the file, before turning back to Sakura.

“Hey! I wasn’t finished!” Monokuma said. “Don’t ignore me, Miss Asahina!!” 

Aoi didn’t even bother looking back. She held the file in her hands, and crouched back down towards Sakura’s body.

“MISS ASAHINA!”

“Shut up.” She fired back, making Monokuma do a double take. “I’m done following your orders. I’m going to...I’m going to find out who did this. I’m going to bring the killer to justice. And...And I’ll make sure you PAY, Monokuma!”

Monokuma stayed perfectly still for a few moments, seemingly shocked by Aoi’s sudden display of defiance. “...I’m looking forward to seeing you try, Miss Asahina.”

With that, he disappeared, leaving the rest of the students stunned in his wake.

“Alright.” Kyoko began. “We’re on the clock now. We need to start our investigation quickly.”

“What’s the plan, then?” Celeste started.

“We split up.” Aoi cut in. “There’s a lot of space to cover, right? I think we should split up and each take a floor.”

“Good idea.” Sayaka added. “Who’s going with who?”

“I’ll stay here with Hina.” Kyoko said. “We’ll investigate this floor, and the Rec Room.”

“I’ll investigate the fourth floor, then.” Makoto added. “Uh….Junko? Leon? Wanna come with me?” Junko nodded.

“Yeah, I’m game.” Leon approved.

“I’ll go with Chihiro on the first floor.” Toko spoke. “If she wants to, of course.” Chihiro nodded.

“Then...that leaves me and Sayaka on the second floor.” Celeste remarked.

“Sounds like a plan!” Sayaka smiled.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll reconvene at the trial, then.” Kyoko stated. “We have three hours. Let’s get going, people!”

\---

“Chihiro?” Toko started as Chihiro stood still, eyes locked on the backroom of the library. “Why...did you suggest the first floor?”

Chihiro didn’t look back. “I’m worried about them.” Chihiro answered. She looked back on Toko.

Toko got the picture. “Oh. Right.” She stepped forward. Toko stretched out a hand, placing it on Chihiro’s shoulder. “I’m sure it’ll work out, Chihiro.”

“But what if it doesn’t? Then...whatever happens to her...it’s all my fault.”

Toko felt a twinge of guilt in her heart. She took Chihiro’s other hand, hugging her. “W-Well...I’ll be there for you, okay?”

“....Toko…”

“Don’t speak a word of this to anyone, got it?” Toko seethed. Chihiro chuckled. 

“Of course.”

\---

“When you break down a locked room murder mystery,” Kyoko began, pacing around Sakura’s body. “There are four standard types.”

“What?” Aoi asked, clearly exhausted. “What are you talking about?”

“A locked room murder mystery.” Kyoko elaborated. “When the body is discovered with no way in or out of the room.”

  
“Oh.” Aoi said, understanding little of Kyoko’s murder mystery ramblings.

“The first is when the locked room is created after the actual crime has been committed. Through whatever means, the killer locked the room after the murder.” Kyoko started.

“That seems a little unrealistic.”

“Well, it is. This is a mostly fictional type of murder.” Kyoko continued. “The second is when the locked room already existed before the death. Like a gun if shot through a window, or an arrow is shot through a door. Kind of like…”

“What Kotomi did to Byakuya?”

“...Exactly.” Kyoko coughed. “Moving on, the third is when the killer remains in the room until the room is unlocked.”

“That could work...but no one was in here with Sakura.” Aoi affirmed.

“Correct. Which leaves the fourth option. It wasn’t actually a locked room at all.”

“Huh?” Hina asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There’s an alternate escape route or place of entry somewhere hidden in the room. This is the least plausible. It mostly happens in movies or novels.”

“Wow... You know a lot about mystery solving, huh?” Aoi breathed a laugh.

“...I guess I do.” Kyoko said, before shaking her head. “Anything to report about Sakura’s body?”

Aoi sighed, defeated. “Nothing you already didn’t see.” Hina wistfully watched Sakura’s body, eyes glazed over and cloudy. “Sakura…” She whispered, hand placed on Sakura’s cheek. Aoi gasped.

“What’s wrong?” Kyoko asked, crouching next to her. “Oh.” Kyoko followed Hina’s eyes to the thin droplet of blood emerging from Sakura’s mouth.

\---

“Shit,” Junko cursed upon seeing the puddle of yellow dust knocked over onto the floor of the chem lab, creating a moat of sorts in front of the cabinets.

Makoto walked to the cabinet door, carefully stepping over the powder. He opened the door to investigate the chemicals.

“So...something clearly happened here, right?” Leon commented, pacing around in a corner. “Like, a struggle or something.”

“Well,” Junko cut in, crouching down to examine the powder. “I can’t tell anything about the chemical from this. If it was lethal, you’d be able to tell.”

“How the fuck do you know that?” Leon asked, eyes wide.

“...You know.” Junko started, before shaking her head. “There’s also some footprints.” She gestured to a set of imprints in front of the shelf. “Someone definitely got poison.” 

“Is that our cause of death, then?” Leon asked, just as Makoto gasped.

He removed a bottle, different from all the others. Like the rest of the chemicals, it was small, clear, almost, if not for the foggy glass. The label matched the rest of the highly toxic chemicals, obnoxious colors and large lettering in order to clearly state it’s lethal purpose. In block letters, it read “CHEMICAL CN”.

The only thing that set this bottle apart was it’s lack of contents. Everything had been removed.

\---

“Kyoko!” Hina exclaimed, crouching down to the floor and peering underneath Sakura’s chair.

“Hmm? Did you find something?” Kyoko asked, walking over to the ultimate swimmer. Aoi reached her hand further under the chair, hand grasping at something. She withdrew her hand, holding a plastic cup.

“Do you recognize it, Aoi?” Kyoko asked.

“...It’s Sakura’s thermos. She held her protein shakes in here.” Aoi sadly remarked. “I don’t know why she would’ve had it with her…”

“Unless someone poisoned her.” Kyoko responded. “Which is in line with the blood.”

As if on cue, Makoto, Junko, and Leon entered the room. “Kyoko!”

“Find anything?” She said, standing up, Hina soon after. 

“There was a bunch of chemical strewn all over the place, with footprints in it.” Junko said. 

“Plus, I found a lethal poison bottle empty.” Makoto added.

“Sounds like someone might have swiped some poison from the chem lab, to sum it all up.” Leon stated.

“Perfect timing.” Kyoko smiled. “We’ve just deduced the same thing.”

“Should we round up the others? I mean...the three hours are gonna be up soon, right?” Aoi asked, nervous.

“We’ve gotten enough evidence to deduce the cause of death, and the means through which the murder was done.” Kyoko said, pacing. “But what we’ll need to deduce is a motive. We have no clear suspect.”

“No one would want to kill Sakura.” Aoi pushed. “No one.”

“We don’t know that.” Junko affirmed. “Like Toko said earlier, we don’t know anything about anyone.”

Hina frowned, clearly not liking the direction they were taking this conversation.

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Ahem! Attention, Attention! As three hours have now passed, the investigation period is OVER! Would everyone pretty please report to the Symbol of Strength so that the Class Trial may begin?? See you there!!!!” _

“Right.” Makoto sighed. “That.”

\---

As per usual, Monokuma was waiting for them. He sat atop the statue, giggling as the students approached. “Ahh! This is just so exciting! With the mysterious death of Miss Oogami, we have such a thrilling trial ahead of us!”

“Shut up, would you?” Celeste remarked. “I know I’m not the only one tired of hearing your voice.”

“Boohoohoohoo…” Monokuma fake cried. “Why must you kids wound me…”

“BECAUSE YOU LOCKED US IN A KILLING GAME? BECAUSE YOU’RE MAKING US KILL EACHOTHER?!” Aoi shouted back.

“Well, technically you guys killed each other. I just gave you motives!” Monokuma corrected.

“If I give you a gun and tell you I’m gonna kill your family unless you shoot someone, I’m pretty sure I’m the guilty one in that situation!” Sayaka added.

“SEMANTICS!” Monokuma huffed. “Regardless, you all know what’s time for!! Another excellent CLASS TRIAL! Who’s excited, huh???”

Makoto was surprised crickets didn’t chirp.

“Hm.” Monokuma pouted. “Whatever, open sesame or whatever.” On Monokuma’s half-hearted command, the statue began to unwind and shift into the elevator that Makoto knew far too well at this point.

The students filed into the elevator, each refusing to make eye contact with one another. The person who killed Sakura had to be in this elevator. But Makoto didn’t want any of them to have done it. It’s not like he wanted to execute her killer. He’d forgive them, the Mastermind made them do it.

...Then why did he feel so bad?

\---

“WELCOME, MY STUDENTS! TO YET ANOTHER CLASS TRIAL!” Monokuma applauded as they entered the trial grounds. “Please, please, take your seats at the podiums! We have MUCH to discuss!”

Makoto stood at Podium number one, as per usual, a frown etched into his face. “Now,” Monokuma began. “As I am obligated, I shall explain the Class Trial! Your votes will determine who you all think the killer is! If you can figure out whodunnit, then I’ll punish only the guilty party! But if you pick the wrong one...then I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, who alone will be allowed to flee the school! Now, all rise for another THRILLING Class Trial!”

“We should start as usual. Alibis.” Kyoko started.

“N-No!” Hina protested. “We don’t need alibis!” 

“W-W-Why not?” Toko frowned. “There’s no reason NOT to! Isn’t it k-kinda necessary?!”

“I already know which one of you did it!” Hina shouted.

“What?” Celeste asked. “What exactly are you implying?”

“It’s...it’s because I saw you!” Hina shouted. “Chihiro! You killed her!”

“What? No, no, I didn’t kill Sakura!” Chihiro frowned. “I would never do anything like that!”

“Don’t play dumb! I saw you last night, creeping around the school!” Hina shouted. “You went to get the poison to kill Sakura, didn’t you! Didn’t you?!”

“I didn’t have anything to do with it, I swear!” Chihiro fought back.

“T-That’s a pretty serious accusation, Aoi.” Toko added.

“Really? Well, you said it yourself, Toko “Suspect Everyone” Fukawa!” Hina fired back.

“I didn’t say that!” Toko said, trying to defend herself.

“Hina, accusing Chihiro of being behind Sakura’s murder is a pretty serious thing to say.” Sayaka remarked. “Besides, do you really think Chihiro is the kind of person who would do that?”

“Ugh! You guys are such hypocrites!” Aoi shouted. “First I’m supposed to suspect everyone, and now, when I have  _ actual  _ evidence, I’m in the wrong! You’re despicable!”

“Woah!” Leon exclaimed. “Jesus, Aoi! I think you’re getting carried away here!”

“No, I’m  ** _NOT! _ ** I’m the only one taking this seriously!” Hina fired back. “And until Chihiro can give me a straight answer to why she was out and about last night, I’m not budging!”

Celeste and Toko exchanged a worried look.

“Well?!” Aoi shouted, arms crossed.

“I was delivering Alter Ego somewhere.” Chihiro said, looking straight down. Makoto’s eyes flitted between Chihiro and Monokuma, fear filling his vision. “She couldn’t finish the job from where she was. So I tried to give her another chance. I’m sorry I didn’t tell the rest of you. Celeste and Toko were the only ones who knew.”

“Wowie…” Monokuma gasped. “Well, roll me in dough and call me a bear claw! What a shocking twist! But who’s this Alter Ego person, Miss Fujisaki? Mind sharing with the class??”

Chihiro crossed her arms and refused to make eye contact.

“Hmmmm...carry on! Accuse each other more!”

“Well...I’d like to discuss the circumstances of the death.” Celeste stated. “Such as the cause.”

“Right.” Kyoko stated. “While there were on external injuries, or at least no signs I could find--”

“And this girl examines corpses as a hobby, so I’m inclined to believe her,” Celeste cut in.

“At first, there was no clear method for Sakura to have died. Until a small droplet of blood dripped from her mouth.” Kyoko continued.

“Right! And then, I found Sakura’s protein shake thermos under her chair!” Hina added.

“And, we found an empty poison bottle in the chem lab.” Junko said. “So it’s safe to say someone poisoned Sakura, right?”

“That’s right!” Hina shouted. “One of you poisoned her! Leaving her defenseless! We need to know who was at the Chem Lab last night!”

“So I guess we...do...need alibis.” Makoto sighed.

“Whatever!”

“...Okay,” Makoto Naegi, Podium #1 sighed. “I was asleep last night.”

“I was, uh, in the laundry room.” Leon Kuwata blushed at Podium #2, trying to avoid Aoi’s heated gaze.

“I was also asleep.” Sayaka Maizono confirmed, standing at Podium #3.

“I was...out and about, I guess.” Chihiro Fujisaki, Podium #4 whispered.

Byakuya Togami could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Byakuya Togami was dead, and Podium #5 was empty.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Kiyotaka Ishimaru was dead, and Podium #6 was empty.

“I was also asleep.” Celestia Ludenberg, Podium #7, stated.

Iore Kitabayashi could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Iore Kitabayashi was dead, and Podium #8 was empty.

Yasuhiro Hagakure could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Yasuhiro Hagakure was dead, and Podium #9 was empty.

Kiriko Nishizawa could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Kiriko Nishizawa was dead, and Podium #10 was empty.

“I was asleep.” Kyoko Kirigiri, Podium #11, said simply.

Sakura Oogami could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Sakura Oogami was dead, and Podium #12 was empty.

Tsubasa Kamii could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Tsubasa Kamii was dead, and Podium #13 was empty.

“Asleep.” Junko stated from Podium #14. 

Toko sighed. “I was in the library.” She crossed her arms, avoiding a death glare from Aoi, at Podium #15.

Mondo Oowada could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Mondo Oowada was dead, and Podium #16 was empty.

“I was asleep.” Hina solemnly stated from Podium #17. 

Aiko Umesawa could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Aiko Umesawa was dead, and Podium #18 was empty.

Kotomi Ikuta could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Kotomi Ikuta was dead, and Podium #19 was empty.

“Alright.” Hina snarled. “So the suspects are Chihiro, Leon, and Toko!”

“Well, I have a motive.” Chihiro defended herself. “I was moving Alter Ego.”

“That’s not an excuse! You still could’ve killed Sakura! You could’ve been the traitor!” Aoi shouted, jabbing a finger in Chihiro’s direction.

“Chihiro told both me and Celeste what she was doing!” Toko defended. “She has two people who vouch for her.”

“ONE OF WHICH, is another suspect in this case! Sounds suspicious to me!” Aoi screamed back.

“Come on, Hina! You’re being unreasonable!” Makoto added.

“WELL WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO BE?!” Hina screamed, tears streaming down her face. “...Sakura...Sakura...she’s dead. She’s dead and I couldn’t do anything to save her! It’s all my fault...It’s all my fault...Sakura...I’m so sorry…”

The room was devoid of sound, except for silent pity, and the sounds of Aoi’s sobs.

“Miss Asahina.” Monokuma added. “I’m sorry to interrupt your little pity party, but we have a class trial to finish.”

“No,” Hina said, standing to attention. “We’re done here.”

“Wha-huh???” Monokuma gasped. “Whaddya mean?! We still need to have voting time! Don’t tell me you’re cutting this short! That won’t end well for you!”

“No! We’re done. Because...I killed Sakura.” Hina stated.

“What?!” Makoto asked, shocked. “Hina, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“No! It’s the truth.” Aoi said, hugging herself. 

“You just spent the entire trial accusing literally everyone.” Leon flatly remarked. “How do you expect us to just...believe you?”

“...I’m sorry, Chihiro.” Aoi apologized. “I was letting my emotions get to my head. I wanted so badly for you all to...be punished. I wanted justice, but I didn’t want to take responsibility.” Hina said. “But I can see clearly now. And I’m sorry. To all of you.”

Chihiro smiled. “I forgive you, Aoi. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you. But I’m ready to take responsibility. I killed Sakura.” Hina sighed, head bowed.

“Hold on,” Kyoko said. “I’m not buying this.”

“Huh? But...I just told you that I did it.” Hina said, confused. “What do you mean, you don’t buy it?”   
  


“Tell us your whole story, Aoi. From the beginning. How did you kill Sakura?” Kyoko asked.

“Well…” Aoi exhaled. “Sakura was acting really antsy after Monokuma announced the presence of a traitor. Sakura wanted to talk to me about something, so we met in the chem lab. She seemed really stressed. But then...she wound up dead.”

“That’s it…” Kyoko whispered, a fervor in her eyes. “The killer never left the room.”

“Kyoko? What’re ya rambling about?” Junko asked, giving her a major side-eye.

“Because this wasn’t a murder.” Kyoko grinned. “This was a suicide. The killer never left the locked room."

“WHA HUH?????” Monokuma gasped.

“Kyoko...are you sure?” Leon asked.

“100%. I’d like to bring us back to our first investigation of the fourth floor.” Kyoko said. “Leon, Makoto, and I first entered the Chem Lab, and found Aoi and Sakura there, discussing something serious.”

“Yeah, just like I said.” Aoi frowned. “The next night….I poisoned her with a chemical in the chem lab. But, I was clumsy, so I spilled the chemical.”

“I’m not sure you’re telling us the whole story. You loved Sakura, that much is clear.” Kyoko pressed. “So I find it hard to believe that you would suddenly jump from adoration to murder. Sakura must’ve asked you to do something. Something serious.”

“Kyoko, what are you implying?” Sayaka inquired.

“I’m saying that Sakura  _ asked  _ Hina to murder her.” Kyoko confirmed. “She wanted to die.”

“But...But I still killed her!” Aoi pushed. “I need to accept punishment!”

“No, you didn’t.” Kyoko said. “Sakura wanted you to kill her because she felt guilty. Because she was the traitor.”

“What?!” Leon gaped. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Kyoko said. “I doubt Monokuma would get someone to be the mole willingly. By the time Monokuma revealed the traitor motive, Sakura’s guilt would have caught up with her. And then...she felt the only way to repay us would be her own death.”

“But what about Hina?” Junko brought up. “Sakura was like, the nicest girl ever. I don’t think she’d doom her girlfriend to execution.”

“...Because…” Hina whispered, something dawning on her. “She wanted it to be with me. And. I didn’t kill her?” Tears streamed down Hina’s face. “Sakura...she drank her own protein shake. She didn’t make me do it. I mixed the poison...but I didn’t kill her.”

“Well….” Monokuma giggled. “Then I guess there’s no time to waste, ehhh? Itttttt’s VOTING TIME! Everybody, please vote on your provided devices!”

The podiums once again flipped, revealing lit up buttons with numbers. Every student pressed the button labelled as 12.

“It’s a shame, really. Miss Oogami was SUCH a great spy!!” Monokuma pouted. “I’m sad to see her go…”

“How did you even get Sakura on your side?” Junko frowned. “She’d never side with you willingly.”

“Oh! I threatened her extended family! I like. Toooootally occupied her family's Dojo, and held them hostage unless Sakura worked with me, puhuhuhu!” Monokuma laughed.

“You’re seriously the worst.” Celeste spat.

“Tell me something I don’t know, Miss Ludenberg!” Monokuma sat. “Well...I guess since there’s no Miss Oogami to execute…”

“Wait…” Makoto began. “Does that mean no execution?!”

“Well...I didn’t say that.” Monokuma grinned, a glint in his red eye. “I’ll just have to use a VERY special guest!”

The earlier fear immediately returned to the group. “A...special guest…?” Chihiro mumbled. “What do you mean, a special guest?”

“Well...you’ll see!” Monokuma rose to his full 2 feet. “LET’S GET IT STARTED! THRILLS! CHILLS! KILLS! ITTTTTTTTTT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!!!”

The screens surrounding Monokuma changed once again to a black screen. The usual sprites of someone being dragged away were gone. Instead, a card reading the following appeared:

  1. ** MONOKUMA’S ANTIVIRUS DEVICE**

The screen shifted again, before showing a small green laptop.

Makoto turned to Chihiro, just in time to see a tear fall out of her terrified eye.

The laptop opened by itself. As Alter Ego blinked to life. She looked around, seemingly trying to recognize where she was without a text response. She was confused. Scared, even.

All of a sudden, small, pixelated Monokumas popped to life, giggling as their faces slowly crowded the screen. Alter Ego struggled, Monokuma’s virus being fought off at a slow pace, but as Alter Ego struggled to win, more and more Monokuma’s poured in from every angle, overwhelming the AI. 16-bit music blared as Alter Ego’s code was eaten from the inside out, before all of a sudden, the laptop closed.

The screen zoomed out, revealing Monokuma standing over the laptop, holding a sledgehammer. One, twice, three times he brought the hammer down, destroying the laptop over and over and over again until the laptop fell further and further apart, bits flying in the dark room. Monokuma giggled, before jumping away. But the camera still rolled, as a quiet beeping became louder and louder and louder, before a giant metallic steamroller came into frame, flattening Alter Ego like a pancake.

\---

“How did you...how did you know?” Chihiro whispered.

“OH COME ON, MISS FUJISAKI!” Monokuma cackled. “DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU WERE SLICK?! BRINGING EVERY STUDENT WITH YOU TO THE WAITING ROOM EVERY OTHER DAY OF THE WEEK, BRINGING THAT LAPTOP EVERYWHERE WITH OU, AND THEN JUST LEAVING IT IN THE LIBRARY’S SERVER ROOMS? DO YOU THINK I’M AN IDIOT, MISS FUJISAKI?! BECAUSE I’M NOT! I’M A BEAR!”

Chihiro sank to her knees, arms clinging at her head. She had failed. Her cries filled the air around her, her despair near palpable to the rest of the students.

“Awww, I’m sorry, did I h--”

“Shut up!” Aoi shouted. “You know what? I’m done! I’m done living in fear of you!”

“Miss Asahina, that is VERY disresp--”

“Don’t you dare talk about respect. You used dirty, twisted means to abuse Sakura! And even now you continue to torture us here! Well, I’m done! I’m going to do everything I can to stop you.” She shouted, moving closer to Monokuma’s throne with righteous fury in her eyes. “I promise...for Sakura, for Chihiro, for everyone you’ve killed…” She stared up at Monokuma, her hand balled into a fist. “I will do everything I can to end this Killing Game!”

\---

_ My Dearest Hina, _

_ I am so, so sorry that it must end this way. But there is no other choice. My only intention, since the day I met you, was to keep you safe. To keep you alive. To make sure you see this Killing Game to the end. _

_ Even if I couldn’t see the end with you.  _

_ Please, please know that I have never stopped loving you, and I will never stop loving you. Everything I do, I do for you. Even now, as I write this note, as I feel the poison killing me, even now, I think of you. Even now, I do this for you. _

_ If you must mourn me, please, know that I want the best for you. Know that I want you to have a happy life. I know you can do this. I know you can win this killing game. I know that things will be hard. I know you will feel horrible. You might even blame yourself. Well, I know you will. But I implore you not to. I love you, Hina. I love you so much. And I need you to survive. Even if it would be easier to give up, even if it would be easier to lay down and go willingly, you mustn’t. Even if not for myself...please. Survive for me. _

_ Even if you feel like you are suffering alone, you are not. Because I will always, always be with you. I will always watch over you. And I will always keep you safe. _

_ Please. Please remember that, even if you don’t remember anything else. _

_ \-- Love, Sakura Oogami. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: the first thing i planned for this fic! :)


	13. The Show Must Go On-DAILY LIFE

「もし希望があったら」

「翼が欲しい」

「鳥のように、空高く」

「お願い、翼をください。」   
  
「翼を広げて飛び去りたい」

「痛みが私に届かない高所に」

「翼を羽ばたかせて舞いたい」

「子供の頃、私は空を夢見ていた。」

「今でも夢を見ている」

「翼を広げて飛び去りたい」

「痛みが私に届かない高所に」

「翼を羽ばたかせて舞いたい」

「私は飛び去り、恐れを捨てる必要がある。」

「高く飛びたい」

「お願い、翼をください。」

\---

The morning after Alter Ego’s execution, Kyoko Kirigiri stared down her breakfast like it was a monster. She narrowed her vision, a hand placed on her chin. Her toast stared back at her, perfect but artificially so. Kyoko looked at it like a mystery. She sighed.

“We’re doomed, aren’t we.” Chihiro mumbled, head bowed on her arms.

“...I don’t want to be so grim.” Kyoko responded, sipping her water.

“Alter Ego is gone!” Chihiro yelled. “I can’t hack the system all on my own, or else Monokuma will just kill me too! Alter Ego was our one shot, and now we’re doomed.”

“I’m still not going to give up.” Kyoko reassured her. “I’m going to solve the mystery of this school.”

  
“How are you going to do that without the one thing that can hack the mysteries of the school, Kyoko.” Chihiro grumbled.

“I’m working on it, Chihiro.” Kyoko mumbled.

“Ughhhh,” Syo groaned. “I’M BORED! There’s nothing to do! After the trial I’m just wiped out! Ughhhhhh!!!!”

Celeste took a sip of her tea. “If you’re gonna mope, please be quieter, Syo. Besides, it’s not like we have another murder to deal with. You should be grateful.”

“Yeah yeah, go shove more tea down your throat…” Syo mumbled.

\---

Makoto Naegi tossed and turned in his sleep. His nightmare, even if he can’t quite place what horror was attacking him, definitely left it’s impression, as Makoto jolts awake, sitting upright in bed. He peered around him, feeling as if eyes were on him. As if someone was watching.

He looked to his left, slowly. A slow, slow turn. No one. Then, he looked to his right. No one. Not a sliver of movement. Just to be sure, Makoto looked upwards. Nope. No one crawling around on all fours on his ceiling.

Makoto sighed, shaking his head. He really let his fear get to him, huh? He resigned to go back to sleep, his clouded brain completely ignoring the soft sound of Makoto’s door opening and closing, as someone finally exited.

\---

Kyoko Kirigiri stood at the word on the door. “Headmaster’s office.” Her eyes narrowed in contempt. She didn’t know why the word inspired such...hate inside of her. Headmaster. It sounds like a cruel warden who abuses his own workers, along with his inmates. Headmaster. Sounds like an evil supervillain behind all the evil deeds in the game.

Kyoko wanted to kick the door open. To just force the lock off its hinges and destroy it. She didn’t care about Monokuma. She just wanted  _ answers.  _ She wanted them  _ now _ . And she was going to get them, even if it killed her--

“Kyoko?” Celeste’s voice shook Kyoko out of her internal monologue.

“Ah, Celestia.” Kyoko sighed. “It’s just you.”

Celestia laughed, approaching Kyoko. “What, were you expecting Monokuma?”

Kyoko laughed, ending in a sigh. “No, it’s just, I’ve been on edge lately. You understand.”

Celeste nodded, following Kyoko’s gaze towards the plaque above the door. “Kyoko...what are you doing here?”

Kyoko’s hand balled into a fist. Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t know.” She swallowed. “But, when I look at this door...I feel something. Contempt? Pain? Sadness?”

Celeste looks at her sadly. “Fear.” She answers for Kyoko. “You’re afraid.

“It...it feels wrong, to me.” She’s still staring at the door, staring as if it’ll attack her if she takes her eyes off it. “There’s something off about it.”

“Everything in this damn school is off, Kyoko.” Celeste remarked.

Kyoko half heartedly laughed. It wasn’t funny.

“Kyoko.” Celeste said again, her fingers touching the side of her face, guiding her eyes towards Celeste’s. “Why are you here?”

Kyoko took a deep breath. “I’m afraid.” She answered, holding back tears. “I look at this place...and I see Yui. I see memories and I don’t know why, but they’re overtaking me. I don’t understand them, but I feel them. I feel them deep inside and they aren’t going away! I...I didn’t have a good life, Celestia. And...I’m afraid. I’m so afraid of knowing everything.”

Celeste’s hand found Kyoko’s, hand intertwining with hers. “Being afraid is natural. Fear is what tells us we’re human.”

“I hate being afraid.” Kyoko said. Celeste’s hand gripped hers tighter.

“Well,” she says, dropping her accent. “You don’t have to be afraid alone, Kyoko.”

Kyoko Kirigiri let herself cry. She let tears stream down her face, though a smile formed over her face. “Thank you.” She whispered. Celeste smiled back, taking her other hand in hers.

Before Kyoko even knew it, Celestia was kissing her. Like any person would be, Kyoko was shocked, before leaning into the kiss, eyes softening as Celeste released her hands. Celeste’s hands found their place on Kyoko’s shoulders, trying to compensate for the height difference.

Kyoko smiled, hands wrapping around Celeste’s back.

Right. She didn’t have to be alone.

\---

Leon Kuwata looked at Makoto Naegi’s sleeping body. A smile formed over Leon’s face, a sigh released from his lips as he leaned backwards on his bed.

He could stay like this forever. He’s content, with Makoto next to him. With someone he loves by his side. Music played in his head. Nothing special. Just some random rock track he knew well. Yet he couldn’t place it.

A frown replaced his smile. Not one of anger, or sadness. But discomfort. Realization, even. Leon sighs, not bothering to pull a blanket over himself.

He’s going to make it out of this school. He’s going to make it out. Makoto deserves to live. And Leon was going to join him. He exhaled through his nose. 

Leon Kuwata had rarely been anything but self-serving. He was a nice guy, but a bitter one. And he...needed to do something. To do something for someone he loved.

Not just for himself. For everyone. For Makoto. Makoto had fought so hard to escape. So hard to help others. Helping them up when they’re hopeless, helping them out when they feel like they have nothing else.

Now it was Leon’s turn.

\---

**Monokuma Theater! ** **   
  
**

**Humanity is something so eloquently heartbreaking, don’tcha think? People pack bond when they’re closed in, grasping at any thread of normalcy or happiness they can find. For some, it’s love! For others, it’s hatred. For others, it’s pain. Humans are a specially tragic species. Even when they know that the odds aren’t in their favor, they still give it everything they’ve got. I’m envious, really! Well, I pity them more than everything! Puhuhu!**

\---

Makoto Naegi sighed as he took the first step towards the 5th floor. The harsh lights that had become synonymous with Hope’s Peak were gone up there, instead replaced with gloomy, atmospheric blues. It felt cold, even if the temperature hadn’t dropped. Like Monokuma had turned down the thermostat a few degrees just to spite the students. Honestly, Makoto wouldn’t put it past him.

But still, Makoto climbed the stairs carefully, one at a time. He’d become more careful, he noticed. More cautious of his surroundings, as if at any moment a step could give way and swallow him whole.

Of course, no such trap door existed, and Makoto made it up to the fifth floor with no issue. He sighed, beginning his exploration.

Immediately to his left, was a simple, seemingly wooden door, marked “Dojo”. As far as Makoto could tell, it was the only door marker that wasn’t written in english. Makoto slid the door open, finding it to be more traditional than others, revealing a perfectly outfitted dojo.

Lockers lined the far right wall, presumably filled with combat gear and protective padding. One sat open, showing dulled training swords meant for kendo. 

The back wall resembled a shrine, complete with a surrounding forest. To complete the synthetic forest, fake...sakura petals fell from the ceiling. Makoto couldn’t help but think those were some kind of cruel joke set up by Monokuma. 

Aside from the spiteful decoration, Celeste and Aoi sat in the dojo, having seemingly brought a chair and a table with them. Celeste sipped her tea absentmindedly, while Aoi leaned against her palm, stirring the cup lethargically.

“Oh, hey, Makoto,” Aoi huffed. “What’re you up to?”

“Investigating the fifth floor. How about you?” Makoto answered, taking a few steps towards the duo.

“Drinking tea.” Celeste answered, punctuating her statement with an elongated sip.

“...Good for you?” Makoto said, head cocked to the side in confusion. “What’s even going on with this room?”

“It probably would’ve been a training space for those with talents specializing in martial arts.” Celeste reasoned.

“I think Monokuma made it last minute specifically to mock me.” Hina frowned.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have--” Celeste started.

“It’s fine.” Hina sighed. “I’m getting mad at you, but really I’m just mad at Monokuma.”

“We all are.” Makoto said. “But we need to remember that he’s the enemy.”

Hina nodded. “Right.”

\---

The room directly across from the Dojo had a glass door, outlined with metal. It was futuristic, it’s design was dissonant from the rest of the school. An engraving next to the door, similarly to most of the rooms in the school, read “The Garden.”

Makoto cocked his head to the side, but tried to brush away his confusion. He pushed the door open, eyes squinting as blinding light bloomed from the room. Makoto shielded his eyes, looking up as his eyes adjusted to the lights.

The Garden seemed to be a gigantic greenhouse, complete with massive tropical plants sprouting strong from the patches of grass, spreading as far as they could, some even hitting the ceiling, bending down and somehow, continuing to grow despite the conditions.

The glass dome that made up the ceiling was...a brilliant sky blue. Clouds moved outside the room. Makoto felt his heart catch.

“Don’t get ideas.” Junko said, emerging from a wall of vines with Sayaka at her side. “It’s just a recording.”

Makoto deflated, though he wasn’t surprised. “Well, it’s good to see you.”

“Same here.” Junko responded.

“Can I ask what you guys are doing here? There doesn’t seem to be a lot happening…” Makoto said, scratching his neck.

Sayaka laughed. “We’re  _ trying  _ to relax, but that’s a little hard with--”

Syo’s laughter erupted from somewhere deep within the room, sprinting out of the forest of vines with a couple of...chickens hot on her trail.

“--Syo running around.” Sayaka finished, sighing.

“...Why would they be keeping chickens in here…?” Makoto laughed.

“I don’t know, man.” Junko grumbled. “This school’s already fucked up, why not?”

“...Fair.” Makoto said, waving to Junko and Sayaka as he traversed to the back of the Garden, finding nothing but a wooden shed tucked away into a far back corner.

Inside was a seemingly endless supply of tools. Clippers and knives designed to trim topiaries and cut vines lined the walls, along with wheelbarrows and gloves, overalls and sun hats...the sheer amount of things was overwhelming.

Hope’s Peak was a vast school, but he doubted a Pick-Axe was needed. Makoto crouched down, hefting the tool in his hand. He turned it over, squinting at an engraving on the handle. “Crazy Diamonds” it read. Where had he heard that before?

\---

Unlike previous floors of Hope’s Peak, the fifth floor had only one classroom. Instead of a designated room number, the label above this door only read “Student Council”. Makoto cocked his head to the side, curious. Well, if Makoto remembered correctly, the Student Council was a very proud and sought after committee within Hope’s Peak, even going as far as to name a “Ultimate Student Council President” every year.

Regardless, Makoto pushed open the door, only to be hit by a horrific stench. The room smelled of rot and blood, and it’s appearance matched the horrible smell.

The room was a mess. Desks sat overturned, deep scratch marks and bullet holes embedded into their now ruined wooden tops. Dried blood covered what would’ve been the same linoleum flooring as other classrooms, the splatter even reaching the walls. Tape outlines of human corpses spread in every direction Makoto could see.

Makoto felt like he wanted to puke. His hand flew to his mouth out of disgust and fear.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get over it.” Makoto turned his head towards the sound of the voice, spotting Kyoko Kirigiri, who had been crouched over, investigating.

“What the hell happened here?” Makoto asked, shivering as he willed himself not to vomit.

“It was like this when I found it.” Kyoko explained.

“Well duh, I’m not accusing you, Kyoko.” Makoto elaborated.

“Regardless.” Kyoko continued. “The blood is old. It’s starting to sink into the floor and walls. Whatever happened here, it happened a while ago. Years, even.”

“...What?” Makoto started. “I don’t...Hope’s Peak is the most high-profile school in japan. Maybe even the world! Why would something like that happen? And not go unannounced?” Makoto rambled. 

“Hope’s Peak is a pillar of society.” Kyoko stated. “They also have government funding. It wouldn’t be hard to cover it up.”

Makoto looked at the tape outlines on the floor. He did extensive research on Hope’s Peak before his arrival. Obviously, he missed the murderous plushie for a headmaster, but...this seemed...terrifying. Unreal, even.

Maybe Makoto was just naive.

\---

Directly to the left of the Student Council room is an obscenely long hallway. As Makoto traveled down, he could feel a noticeable chill. Makoto didn’t put it past Monokuma to actively forego air conditioning just for dramatic effect. 

The door at the end of the hallway read “Biology Lab”. The door itself was a rusty, dark metal, nails drilled into it. Makoto grasped the door handle, shivering as chilled metal met his skin.

The Biology Lab was surprisingly mundane, considering how Hope’s Peak tended to be extra with its architecture and technology. It looked like a normal biology lab. Desks were all lined against the wall, each tabletop littered with notes. Try as he might, each note was completely indecipherable to him, considering he wasn’t exactly initiated. A few stray tarps hung off of shelves, each one marked with the Hope’s Peak insignia.

Makoto turned, finding the far right wall. It was the most unusual aspect of the room. It was lined with...cabinets? Handles stuck out from the wall, each one matched with a light. Makoto approached them tentatively. 10 of the lights lining the walls were illuminated, the rest a dull gray.

Makoto reached out, and carefully touched one of the handles, pulling slightly. All of a sudden the part of the wall rapidly ejected, a scream leaving Makoto’s mouth.

The “cabinet” extended outwards, revealing a perfectly preserved corpse. Makoto identified it quickly as Byakuya Togami, judging by the still obvious wound on his left eye, left there by Kotomi Ikuta.

Even in death, Byakuya’s scowl was perpetual. Makoto swallowed, trying to still his heartbeat. The air conditioning hadn’t been foregone because of Monokuma’s intimidation. The Biology Lab was freezing cold because it served as the Mastermind’s makeshift morgue.

\---

Chihiro sighs into her microwaved food, absentmindedly poking at it.

From the other side of the dining hall, Syo frowned, chin leaning into her palms. “Why’re you so serious looking?!” Syo suddenly shouted, slamming her hands on the table.

Chihiro jumped, making eye contact with her. “W-What?” She laughed. “I kinda have to be, I guess. We’re in a very serious situation…”

Syo’s frown went from frustrated to sad. She sunk into her seat. “Sorry.” She pouted. “I was just hopin’ to help ya, if something was eatin’ ya.”

Chihiro smiled, her eyes softening. “I appreciate it, Syo.” Syo’s pout turned to her usual grin.

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Attention all Hope’s Peak students! Could you pwetty please report to the gymnasium? I have a very special announcement to make! Please and thank you!” _

“RACE YOU!” Syo shouted, already sprinting out the door.

Chihiro sighed, but stood and followed her.

\---

Monokuma was waiting for them as they entered the gym. He was laying down on his podium, kicking his feet absentmindedly. “Ah! There you are! I was getting impatient!”

“Tough shit!” Junko spat.

“Yeah!” Makoto added. “If you’re so impatient, just save us the trip and bring the motive to us!”

“WAAAAAAAHHHH!!!” Monokuma fake-cried. “YOU KIDS ARE SO MEAN!!! I DON’T GET PAID ENOUGH FOR THIS!!!”

“You aren’t getting paid shit, you glorified care bear!” Leon shouted.

Monokuma gasped, scandalized. “How dare you compare me to those technicolor frauds! Tenderheart Bear still owes me money!”

“He’s more like Grumpy Bear.” Chihiro affirmed. “Except with none of the redeeming qualities.”

“Awww, come on!” Monokuma protested. “I’m at LEAST Bedtime Bear, right?!”

“You could  _ never  _ be Bedtime Bear.” Sayaka seethed. Makoto, who had never watched Care Bears, pretended to understand.

“UGH! I can’t take this slander anymore!” Monokuma grumbled, moving to stand on his feet. “Time to reveal a new MOTIVE!” Monokuma rubbed his paws together. “I call it….SECRET SHARING!”

The students exchanged confused glances.

Monokuma coughed, before producing 9 unmarked folders from...somewhere. “Allow me to explain!” Monokuma hopped onto the gymnasium folder, slowly passing out the folders to the students, one for each. “Inside each of these folders is a secret that you students would like to keep close to your chest. The only twist, is that I’ve mixed them up! Each one of you has a different student’s motive.”

Makoto looked around the room, spotting how each and every one of his classmates' faces went stark white.

“If someone doesn’t get offed in the next 48 hours, then I’ll reveal your precious secrets! Not only to the outside world, but to each and every one of you trapped in this school with me! As a cute little bonus, the secrets will be proudly displayed on your student handbooks each and every time you boot them up!”

Celeste laughed, though her expression didn’t really read as an unbothered one.

“What’s so funny, Miss Ludenberg?” Monokuma inquired, paws on his hips.

“Oh, nothing. But this motive of yours...it’s just such a childish trick!” Celeste explained. “You’ve already taken enough from us. Besides, aren’t you running out of motive ideas? I doubt our secrets being shared will push one of us over the edge.”

“PUHUHUHU!” Monokuma cackled. “Why, you’ve gone positively SOFT, Miss Ludenberg! Your faith in your little friends is much too high! What happened to you?! Celestia Ludenberg, the Queen of Liars! You were ruthless in your conquest of Japan’s gambling circles, so what happened to that fire? That spite? That drive to win above all else?! I miss the old Miss Ludenberg!”

“That Celeste doesn’t exist anymore.” Celeste smiled, brushing a tear away from her eye, and throwing a glance at Kyoko. “Your killing game killed her. And personally, I can’t thank it enough.”

\---

Junko Enoshima removed the false eyelashes from her face, exhaling deeply as she rubbed away the aggressively pink blush from her cheeks.

Absentmindedly, she caught herself singing a song under her breath. “ _ If I could have one thing, I would want white wings,”  _ She began, taking a make-up wipe and beginning to remove her eyeshadow. “ _ Upon my back, like a bird, please give me white wings,” _

Junko sighed, frowning as her freckles came into view.  _ “I want to spread my wings to the sky,”  _ She began to remove her wig, next.  _ “And fly high away to escape the sadness,”  _ She stared at herself in the mirror. A mix of pity and contempt clouding her eyes. “ _ And the pain.” _

\---

**MONOKUMA THEATER!!!!**

**Music is a magical thing, really! The way it can inspire people. Unite people. Drive people. The way people can hear a funky beat and immediately jump into action! The way it can help people up when they’re down, or get them there in the first place. It’s marvelous really. Songs can be sad. Songs can be mean. Songs can be horrible. But songs can also be happy. I don’t know. It just felt interesting to me.**

\---

Makoto Naegi woke up, and rubbed the palm of his hand into his eye, trying to scrub away sleep somehow. Predictably, he was still tired. He kicked his legs over the side of his bed, and got dressed. Shrugging on his hoodie, he rolled a shoulder. He opened his bedroom door, and decided to go to the 5th floor. It was early, he wasn’t even sure night time had ended yet.

And so he climbed up the stairs, eyes hooded from fatigue. Where...had he planned to go next? To be honest he wasn’t sure if he  _ had  _ a plan. This was all very spur of the moment. He set his sights on the Garden. Maybe just to get a breath of simulated fresh air. He took a few steps towards the Garden entrance, his hand ghosting over the doorknob before--

_ THUMP. _

Makoto’s head snapped backwards, finding the source of the noise. The Dojo. Concern sprouted into his head, but still, he turned on his heel and took a few careful steps towards the Dojo, trying to push worry out of his mind. His hand shook as he turned the doorknob, before it left the door altogether as he entered the Dojo.

Humans are strange creatures. When faced with the end of the world, with an eternity of pain and suffering, they still want to face it with someone else. Someone special. Humans crave companionship. They crave love, they crave laughter. They crave life, but they only crave it when they have someone they want to share that life with. Whether a friend, a lover, what have you.

Humans want something to dull the pain. A pair of wings to carry them away from their suffering. A love. A friend. Someone to laugh with and cry with. Someone to remind them that it isn’t their fault. They want to fly, high and free, to escape the pain.

And that’s what Makoto felt. The wings being torn out of his back, as he stared at the bloodied, brutalized corpse of Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Player.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know you tHINK you're gonna get desensitized to things you planned A VERY LONG TIME AGO but no! nah it still hits you  
anyway 8/19


	14. The Show Must Go On-DEADLY LIFE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: this is my favorite chapter of this fic BY FAR! i hope you enjoy!

Makoto Naegi stared blankly ahead. Absentmindedly, he could feel his own breathing, reminding him that he was at least alive. But yet, he did not feel like blood was pumping through his veins. Instead he just felt ice.

Leon laid face up, horror etched into his face. Nothing about his clothing was disturbed. A knife, blood coating the blade, was buried in Leon’s chest.

The door opened behind him. Makoto assumed that the other students walked into the room. Distantly, Celestia cursed under her breath. Makoto half-heartedly heard the crying of Sayaka, and Chihiro. A thump on the ground showed Syo passing out, though the sudden bout of shouting told him that either Toko or Hanako had taken her place. As tears muddled Makoto’s vision, he recognized the purple and brown cloud that crouched over Leon’s corpse as Kyoko.

“Makoto?” Someone asked. “Makoto?” Someone asked. “MAKOTO!”

Makoto gasped, as Celeste’s face came into focus. “...Makoto?”

Makoto was crying, but no tears fell from his face. How long had it been since he first took those steps into Hope’s Peak Academy? How many lives had he seen snuffed out? How many people were killed? Makoto honestly couldn’t remember.

He should be crying. He wanted to cry, that much was for sure. He wanted to bawl his eyes out and desperately cling to Leon’s corpse, desperate for him to wake up.

_ “Woah! A body has been discovered!”  _ The announcement began. Makoto could recite the whole thing by heart.

Makoto set his jaw. He looked straight down as the door opened behind him.

“Hello, hello! How are you all doing today?” Monokuma said, entering the room with an air of nonchalance. “Any exciting developments?” 

Silence.

“Hm. Guess not.” Monokuma said, seating himself down on the floor. He examined each of the students with curiosity. “Who put a stick up your asses?”

Makoto’s fist balled up. “What is  _ wrong  _ with you?” He spat.

“Hm? A lot of things, Mr. Naegi! Elaborate.” Monokuma taunted.

Makoto’s voice shook. “STOP IT! STOP ACTING LIKE YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING! STOP JUST WALTZING IN AND MOCKING US FOR DARING TO CRY!” Makoto screamed, his throat going raw.

“Makoto,” someone, Chihiro, maybe, tried to comfort.

“DON’T JUST STAND THERE!” Makoto screamed. “SAY SOMETHING!” Monokuma stood silent. Unmoving. “I SAID  _ SAY SOMETHING, GOD DAMN IT!” _

Monokuma still did not talk. Makoto stood there, heaving. The others were most likely concerned, throwing worried looks his way. But Makoto didn’t care. His eyes tunneled onto Monokuma.

“Mr. Naegi,” Monokuma began. “I’m sorry, but you seem mistaken!”

“MISTAKEN?! How the  _ fuck  _ am I MISTAKEN?!” Makoto shouted.

Monokuma laughed. “You seem mistaken that I ever started this whole...killing game thing, with a motive!” Makoto’s eyes widened in confusion. “Sometimes...people aren’t...different. They aren’t wrong. There isn’t some...cataclysmic horror that morphed someone into a supervillain.” Monokuma sighed. “No...no, sometimes...there isn’t a reason. There isn’t a motive. Things are just. Bad. People are just...bad.”

Makoto’s scowl deepened. “You’re a monster.”

Monokuma cackled. “Ha! That’s rich. No, Mr. Naegi, I am not a monster. I’m a bear!” Monokuma immediately drew a Monokuma file from nowhere, and pushed the file into Makoto’s hands. “See you at the trial, Mr. Naegi.”

And with that, Monokuma left. Leaving nothing but a fuming Makoto in his wake.

Makoto immediately began to read from the file. 

“Victim: Leon Kuwata.”

“Height: 5’6”.”

“Weight: 160.4lb”

“Time of Death: 5:00 AM”

“Body Discovered by Makoto Naegi”

“Body Discovery Location: The Dojo”

“Makoto...are you...okay?” Aoi started.

“I’m fine.” Makoto stated, his voice desperately trying to stay even. “I’m going to take a walk.” He stated.

\---

“We need to start our investigation.” Kyoko stated, after an hour had passed, and Makoto Naegi had not yet returned from his walk. “Much more of this, and we won’t have any more time.”

“I agree.” Celeste concurred. “But still...it feels...wrong.”

“Makoto’s doing what he thinks is best. Distancing himself from the investigation so he doesn’t interfere.” Junko reasoned.

“Makoto…” Sayaka whispered.

“I elect that we split up to make up for lost time.” Kyoko began. 

The rest of the class agreed, and went their separate ways.

\---

Junko angrily held open a wall of vines for Sayaka to duck under. “I hate foliage.” Junko grumbled. 

“Anything beats the same hallway over and over again.” Sayaka added. “Where do you wanna check?”

“I don’t know,” Junko added. “Only place I can think of would be the shed.”

“Let’s start there, then.” Sayaka said, as Junko led the way towards the shed.

Junko opened the door, followed quickly by Sayaka.

“I don’t think we’re gonna find anything,” Sayaka sighed. “I’m not exactly in the...highest spirits.”

“You and everyone else in this goddamn school.” Junko added. “Still, we need to investigate. We should check for anything missing.”

Sayaka nodded, and began scanning the walls. Junko found herself thinking that no gardener would need every implement known to man, but, then again, Hope’s Peak rarely half-assed their budget.

“It’s...weird.” Junko said, examining sections of trowels and knives. “All of these are in baskets. Each of em are in trios.”

“Maybe Monokuma decided to stray away from his half-and-half aesthetic?” Sayaka quipped. Junko sighed, though she still found it funny.

“Well...one of these baskets only has two.” Junko pointed out, holding a basket aloft.

\---

Kyoko Kirigiri held the knife in her hands. “It’s strange. This blade isn’t one you’d typically use as a murder weapon.”

“Why do you know so much about murder, Kyoko?” Celeste joked.

“Remember? My hobby is diagnosing dead bodies.” Kyoko shot back.

“Stop flirting!” Aoi hissed. “We’re investigating.”

“We weren’t  _ flirting, _ ” Celeste started.

“Denying it isn’t a better look, Celeste.” Kyoko stated. Celeste huffed. “Moving on, this knife is made for hacking. Similar to a machete. I don’t know why the killer would use it for a stabbing…”

Aoi, who had taken it upon herself to investigate the rest of the dojo, opened the last of the locker. “None of the weapons inside the dojo have been disturbed either. So the weapon didn’t come from here.”

Celeste crouched down, mimicking Kyoko’s pose. Tentatively, she tapped Leon’s body, before fully flipping him over onto his side. “...Kyoko?”

Kyoko hummed in response.

“Why is his entire back drenched in blood?” Kyoko’s head shot up at her words, as she followed Celeste’s eyes. Leon’s blood stained the entire back of his jersey, it having been drenched, despite the rest of his clothes having survived.

“That...doesn’t make any sense.” Kyoko pointed out. “Even if the knife had pierced Leon’s body completely, he wouldn’t bleed out enough to completely cover his back.”

“We should examine his body closer.” Aoi added. “If there’s a big blob of blood stained into his jersey, then maybe there’s other clues…?”

“Kyoko? I believe this is your jurisdiction.” Celeste pointed out, stepping away as Kyoko nodded.

She turned over Leon’s arms, exposing his wrists. His skin wasn’t cut, though she noticed...bruises on his forearms. Kyoko’s eyes squinted. She then rolled up the back of his jersey, sure enough finding a smattering of bruises.

“Signs of a struggle…” She whispered.

\---

“Makoto?!” Chihiro called out, trying to locate the lucky student. “...Makotooo?!” She sighed, plopping herself down on the floor. She and Toko had been looking for him for a good while, though they had no luck.

“Ugh…” Toko groaned. “This is  _ so  _ annoying! Where is he?!”

“Toko, don’t be so harsh.” Chihiro chastised. “He’s going through a lot. Leon was...really important to him.”

“I know, it’s just…” Toko crossed her arms. “I wanna make sure he’s at the trial. If he skips out, he’ll...you know.”

“You’re right.” Chihiro mumbled. Toko sat next to her. “I guess we just have to believe he’ll show up.”

  
“That’s dumb. I hate that.” Toko groaned, leaning against Chihiro. “That’s stupid.”

“Preaching to the choir, Toko…” Chihiro responded.

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Ahem! Attention all hope’s peak students! The investigation period has now ended, as three hours have passed! Thus, the Class Trial can now begin! Please report to the symbol of strength so that we might begin our investigation!” _

“I hate it here.” Toko added, just to make sure Chihiro got the message.

\---

“THERE YOU ALL ARE!!!” Monokuma giggled. “Agh, I’m just so excited for this trial! The drama! The romance! The intrigue!”

“Do you ever shut up…?” Sayaka mumbled.

“Nope!” Monokuma laughed. “Hm? Wait, is there one less of you?! Where’s Mr. Naegi?!”

Kyoko turned to Chihiro for answers. “Me and Toko couldn’t find him…” Chihiro sighed.

“Well...if Mr. Naegi decides to skip out...then I’m sure you all know the consequences.” Monokuma gravely remarked, despite his bubbly voice.

“I’m right here.” Makoto’s voice said, as he emerged from the hallway. “Don’t even think about starting this without me.”

“Makoto!” Aoi exclaimed. “Oh, we were so worried about you…”

“It’s good to see you again.” Kyoko added.

“Hey.” Makoto responded. He took a deep breath.

“Sorry to break this up, but I’m BORED!!! Can we just get this class trial rolling already?!” Monokuma shouted.

  
“My thoughts exactly.” Makoto fired back. “I’m going to bring Leon’s killer to justice. And I won’t stop until that happens.”

“I like your spirit, kid!” Monokuma giggled. “OPEN SESAME!” On Monokuma’s word, the statue began to rearrange itself, the intricate metalwork of the bear statue shifting and changing itself around, before it appeared as the looming elevator Makoto knew all too well.

The students filed on as usual, as the door slid closed behind them, and their descent began.

Makoto took a deep inhale. He held his breath for 3 seconds. Then he exhaled. This was his chance. He had to avenge Leon Kuwata.

\---

“HELLO HELLO HELLO!” Monokuma called as they all uniformly excited the elevator, each one taking their place at their corresponding podiums. Makoto threw a saddened glance at the effigy of Leon standing next to him. “WELCOME TO YET ANOTHER CLASS TRIAL! It’s so good to see all of you!”

“GET ON WITH IT!” Junko shouted.

“Right!” Monokuma began. “Allow me to refresh you on the rules of the Class Trial! You all will be attempting to identify the killer of Leon Kuwata! If you guess right, then I’ll punish the one who disturbed the peace. But if you guess wrong...then I’ll punish everyone ASIDE from the blackened! Are we all on the same page? GREAT! With that, all rise for yet another CLASS TRIAL!”

“S-Should we cover our alibis, like usual?” Chihiro started.

“Yes. We’re going to do this like normal.” Makoto stated from Podium #1. “I was asleep when Leon was killed.”

Leon Kuwata could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Leon Kuwata was dead, and Podium #2 was empty.

“I got up last night to use the bathroom.” Sayaka Maizono confirmed, standing at Podium #3. “But I was asleep when Leon died.

“I was asleep.” Chihiro Fujisaki, Podium #4 explained.

Byakuya Togami could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Byakuya Togami was dead, and Podium #5 was empty.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Kiyotaka Ishimaru was dead, and Podium #6 was empty.

“I was sleeping.” Celestia Ludenberg, Podium #7, stated.

Iore Kitabayashi could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Iore Kitabayashi was dead, and Podium #8 was empty.

Yasuhiro Hagakure could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Yasuhiro Hagakure was dead, and Podium #9 was empty.

Kiriko Nishizawa could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Kiriko Nishizawa was dead, and Podium #10 was empty.

“I was in my room, though I was awake.” Kyoko stated.

Sakura Oogami could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Sakura Oogami was dead, and Podium #12 was empty.

Tsubasa Kamii could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Tsubasa Kamii was dead, and Podium #13 was empty.

“I was awake.” Junko informed, leaning against Podium #14.

Toko sighed. “I was in the library.” Toko explained from Podium #15.

Mondo Oowada could not say where he was, nor what he was doing, as Mondo Oowada was dead, and Podium #16 was empty.

“I was in the pool early in the morning. I usually work out around that time.” Hina said from Podium #17. 

Aiko Umesawa could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Aiko Umesawa was dead, and Podium #18 was empty.

Kotomi Ikuta could not say where she was, nor what she was doing, as Kotomi Ikuta was dead, and Podium #19 was empty.

“Good.” Makoto said, nodding. “Now, for the people who were awake last night, do any of you have any clue where Leon was last night?”

“...I saw Leon going up to the fifth floor.” Sayaka stated. “When I was going to the bathroom, that is.”

“I didn’t  _ see  _ him,” Aoi began. “But his door was closed by the time I got up to go swimming.”

Makoto hummed. “Interesting…”

“N-N-Not to be insensitive, but...I think Makoto did it!” Toko proclaimed.

“What?” Kyoko began. “Why would Makoto kill Leon? That makes zero sense.”

“In my murder mystery romances, it’s always t-the spouse! That puts Makoto as a likely suspect!”

“I’d never hurt Leon!” Makoto shouted. “What reason would I have to kill him?!”

“Yeah, lay off of Makoto, Toko.” Celeste fought. “He’s suffering the most out of us.”

“....I’m sorry...I-I was just trying to help anyway I could.” Toko stammered.

“It’s fine. Let’s move on.” Makoto sighed.

“I’m curious about why Leon would’ve gone exploring the fifth floor so late…” Chihiro started. “Especially at night, with the motive just having been revealed…”

“I only saw him climb the stairs.” Sayaka affirmed. “He completely disappeared after that.”

“If I may add on,” Kyoko continued. “I didn’t even hear anything happen. Nothing as loud as Leon opening his door, walking down the hallway, going upstairs, and then getting killed.”

“Hell, Leon never really tipped us off to anything about himself…” Junko said. “I got no clue what he might be doing up there at night…”

“Makoto,” Aoi started. “Do you know anything about Leon that might tip us off?”

“No…” Makoto sighed.

“Hmm...maybe he wanted to get something from the fifth floor?” Chihiro pondered.

“Get what? Running off the assumption that he dropped something or whatever isn’t really a basis to accuse someone…” Toko grumbled.

“Leon was always one to sleep in…” Makoto rambled. “I don’t have a clue why he’d suddenly want to go up to the fifth floor in the middle of the night.”

“Maybe he was plotting something…?” Sayaka started. “The Training Dojo had weapons? Maybe that’s where he went.”

“No. Leon didn’t have it in him to kill.” Makoto stated, his jaw set. “Hell, even his motive isn’t too revealing.”

“Wait, you got his motive, Makoto?” Chihiro asked.

“Yeah. He used to write super bad heavy metal covers and burn them to CDs. Not much to lose from there.” Makoto explained.

“I’d like to change the subject, if you don’t mind.” Kyoko cut in.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you. I’d like to discuss something I found odd when investigating Leon’s body.” Kyoko continued. “He had bruises all over his body, especially his legs and back. Signs of a struggle.”

Celeste hummed. “Mayhaps the killer attacked Leon, and then he fled up the fifth floor?”

“It’s a good hypothesis…” Chihiro sighed.

“But none of us even heard Leon! Enough of us were awake, and I assume he’d have cried for help…” Aoi protested.

“UGH! We really haven’t gotten anywhere…” Junko groaned. “This is so aggravating!”

“T-Then let’s talk about different evidence!” Chihiro states. “What about the murder weapon? None of the actual weapons in the Dojo were touched, so why a knife?”

“The Knife was very unique.” Junko informed. “Look at the handle. It matches the one in the shed of the garden, right? It’s a special one, used to cut down vines and junk. A weird choice for a stabbing, like the one that took out Leon.”

The rest of the students threw her an odd glare.

“What! A girl can know her knives!” Junko protested.

“Well…” Toko started. “No one really went to the garden that often. That doesn’t clue us in to the killer’s identity…”

Makoto placed a hand on his chin, staring into the wall with a distant look in his eye. He ran over all the alibis in his head. Makoto was asleep. Sayaka had gotten up to use the bathroom. Kyoko was awake, but she was in her room. Chihiro was asleep. Toko was in the library. Junko was awake, though she hadn’t specialized where she was. Hina was in the pool, and Leon was up, though why was the major question here.

“Junko has the weakest alibi!” Sayaka suddenly proclaimed.

“What the--?!” Junko shouted. “Sayaka, what the fuck?! Sure, I’m a bitch, but I’m not a fuckin’ murderer!”

“S-Sayaka kind of has a point...” Toko mumbled. “You never really talked a lot about yourself, so your secret might be very incriminating!”

Makoto thought about it for a moment. Now that he thought about it, Junko was very mysterious, in regards to her past. She never shared anything about her interests, though Makoto had deduced she had a passion for weapons. If Sakura had been a traitor...who was to say Junko couldn’t be one as well?

“Well…” Kyoko began. “The Ultimate Fashionista is more of a persona than anything. Junko is...loud and blunt. I doubt her image as a public figure would survive a blow like that.”

“Come the fuck on! You guys are just as suspicious as me, if we use that bullshit thought process!” Junko shouted.

“Well...I’m ready to vote!” Sayaka protested.

“Sayaka…” Junko whispered, as Sayaka fought back tears.

The sadness in Sayaka’s voice hit Makoto harder than he’d like to admit. She didn’t  _ want  _ to accuse Junko. He knew they were close, and this must be hard for both parties. Sayaka…

“Wait.” Makoto cut in. “I know Junko didn’t do it.” To be honest, he was about 98% sure.

“W-What?” Junko said. 

“I see a fault in someone’s alibi. Namely, Sayaka’s.” Makoto explained.

“Huh…? Are you saying I’m lying, Makoto?” She sounded hurt. “Come on--” Sayaka fought back, though Makoto continued pushing.

“You didn’t lie, but you didn’t tell the truth either!” Makoto fired back. “Let me explain.” Makoto cleared his throat. “Here’s a hypothetical. Leon wakes up. Let’s say...he goes to the bathroom.”

“As he’s walking, he is attacked by someone. This isn’t planned, purely spur of the moment. They jump him, and get a few good hits in. Trying to grab his foot as he runs away. Leon retreats upstairs, pursued by his assailant.” Makoto continued, gesturing with his hands to explain his theory.

“Leon retreats to the Garden, and the killer follows him. Leon hides in the tool shed, and he’s found. The killer sees the knife, and grabs it. The killer gets in a good slash to the stomach. It’s not going to kill him, but he’s gonna bleed.” Makoto brought his fist down to his palm. “Leon retreats to the library and uses his jersey to stop the bleeding, explaining the drenched side of the jersey. The killer follows him into the dojo, and kills him. The killer leaves the knife in him, and takes his handbook off of him, using it to lock his door to make it seem like he just appeared upstairs.”

“What does this have to do with my alibi, Makoto?!” Sayaka retorted.

“It has everything to do with your alibi!” Makoto fired back. “You said you saw Leon go up stairs, while you were going to the bathroom.”

Sayaka watched him with contempt.

“But the back half isn’t true. You saw Leon go up the stairs, since he was running away from you as you chased him down with the intent to kill.” Makoto explained.

Sayaka’s eyes widened, the color draining from her face. She said nothing, but a single tear fell from her face.

“WELL! I think we’re about ready to vote, aren’t we???” Monokuma began, taking the sad silence of the class as a yes. “Welp! No time like the present!” The podiums flipped, revealing the set of buttons Makoto recognized too clearly. Makoto sighed, pressing the button labeled 3.

Monokuma said nothing as the screens descended, the roulette wheel appearing. Monokuma seemed to lock eyes with Makoto as he pulled the lever, the wheel spinning, and landing on Sayaka. Monokuma had no words to accompany the fanfare on screen. The only noise in the room was Sayaka’s soft sobs.

“Sayaka.” Junko stated. Sayaka said nothing. “Sayaka.” Junko pressed. “ _ Sayaka!”  _

Sayaka turned her face upwards, meeting Junko’s eyes. “I’m sorry.” She choked out, tears drenching her words.

“Why?” Junko asked. “Why did you do it?”

“My motive.” Sayaka said, clearing her throat. “My secret....my secret is that I hate being an idol.”

“...What?” Junko said, her head cocked to the side.

“I hate it so much! All of those people out in those crowds...they’re obsessed with me! They’re complete freaks who know every single detail about my life!” Sayaka shouted, tears falling from her eyes. “It’s...disgusting, to see people carrying cardboard cut-outs of yourself. To see that people sleep with your body printed onto a pillow! But...they all love me. I have to be a perfect idol, just to live up to their expectations! I became addicted to that spotlight...and if I’m not out there in the world...being that perfect idol...then I’d lose that spotlight forever! And I couldn’t take it! I...I...I’d do anything to keep that fame I’ve fought for! Even if it hurts me more than anything!”

“But...why Leon?” Makoto pleaded.

“He told me that he had my motive. Said that he wanted to clear the air.” Sayaka said. “I had to cut off the knowledge at its source. Killing Leon was the only way to keep that information from spreading.”

The other students gaped at her. Shock colored all of their faces, though some watched with contempt, others with pity, and all with sadness.

“You don’t have to pretend to forgive me, everyone.” Sayaka explained. “I...I don’t want you to.”

“Sayaka,” Junko began.

“No.” Sayaka stopped her. “I’m sorry, Junko. For putting you through this, for accusing you, for everything.” She turned to Makoto. “I cannot apologize enough for taking Leon away from you, Makoto.”

“Sayaka--”

“Please. Don’t talk.” She turned to Monokuma. “I’m...I’m ready.”

“Really??? Wow! I’ve been waiting for like...2 minutes!” Monokuma sighed. “ALRIGHT! LET’S GET IT GOING!”

“I’m sorry.” Sayaka choked out.

“THRILLS, CHILLS, KILLS!!! ITTTTTTT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!!!!!” Monokuma cackled, as Sayaka entered the steel doors. She smiled as they closed around her, the L.E.D reader changing to read “IN USE.”

The screens overhead changed, showing the familiar 8-bit sprite of Sayaka being dragged away by Monokuma.

**CONGRATULATIONS!**

**SAYAKA MAIZONO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY**

**TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!!**

The screen shifted again.

**SAYAKA MAIZONO’S CLOSING NUMBER!**

Sayaka Maizono stood on stage, gripping a microphone in her hands. Faint pink light danced around her, as a large gauge on the wall stared back at them all. It read “SING TO ESCAPE” in bright pink letters.

Sayaka looked around, confused, before she met eyes with the man--or bear, rather-- on the piano. Monokuma began playing the keys, as sheet music fell down in front of her. Sayaka cleared her throat, and began.

“ _ I know, I know I’ve let you down.”  _ She began, dancing lightly in circles, a perfect Idol Smile spreading across her features. “ _ I’ve been a fool to myself! I thought that I could live for no one else.”  _ She addressed her audience (also made of Monokumas) as she sang, her melodic voice filling the air like toxic gas. “ _ But now, through all the hurt and pain, it’s time for me to respect! The ones you love mean more than anything!” _

Sayaka’s voice exuded joy and delight, in contrast with the dark lyrics and the tears brimming from her eyes. “ _ So with this sadness in my heart,”  _ She began. A hand on her chest. “ _ I feel the best thing I can do, is end it all! And leave forever~”  _ She crooned, snapping her fingers and doing a jaunty skip. 

“ _ What’s done is done, it feels so bad, what once was happy, now is dead!”  _ She stared right at the camera, as a twinge hit Makoto’s heart. Sayaka’s eyes wanted to apologize, but she didn’t want to be forgiven. She wanted to be hated. To be despised. “ _ I’ll never love again! My world is ending~!”  _ Sayaka trailed as Monokuma kicked up the accompaniment, sliding his paws across the keys.

“ _ I wish, that I could turn back time, cuz now the guilt is all mine!”  _ She sang, doing a small twirl to check on the gauge, which was steadily rising. _ “Can’t live without the trust from those you love!”  _ She aimed a finger gun at the camera. “ _ I know, we can’t forget the past. You can’t forget love and pride! Because of that, it’s killing me inside!”  _ Sayaka did her best to keep up her rhythm, and she was doing a pretty good job of it. Putting on a show for their captors. Makoto turned to Junko, who was openly weeping at Sayaka’s show.

A long and painful piano break followed as Sayaka tap-danced, before taking a breath and singing. “ _ It all returns to nothing~! It all goes tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down!”  _ She lowered to the ground and returned to her full height to emphasize the lyrics. Tears now freely streamed from her eyes, but she kept singing. “ _ It all returns to nothing~! I just keep! Letting me down, letting me down, letting me down!”  _ She turned to the camera, suddenly sobering. “ _ In my heart of hearts, I know that I can never love again. I’ve lost everything! Everything~! Everything that matters to me, matters in this world!”  _ Within a millisecond, her idol grin had returned, and she was reaching for the camera.

  
  


“ _ I wish, that I could turn back time! ‘Cuz now the guilt is all mine! Can’t live without the trust from those you love! I know, we can’t forget the past. You can’t forget love and pride! Because of that, it’s killing me inside!”  _ Sayaka continued, eyes fixed on the gauge as it neared the top, neared her escape, neared her freedom. “ _ It all returns to nothing! It all goes tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down!”  _ As if on cue, the gauge dropped down to nothing, shattering into a million pieces. Sayaka’s face fell, before she turned to her audience. They had started to climb on stage.

Hundreds, thousands, maybe, of Monokumas swarmed the stage, encircling the stage as Sayaka sang based on instinct and muscle memory alone. “ _ It all returns to nothing! It all goes tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down! It all returns to nothing~! I just keep! Letting me down, letting me down, letting me down! _ ” She just kept singing that damn line, her eyes pleading for help, though no one could hear her scream over her song.

Sayaka’s curtain call arrived, the velvet sheets acting as a muffler for her screams, as that jaunty piano tune continued.

\---

“Puhuhuhu! Wow! How emotional!” Monokuma cackled. “I bet that got everyone worked up!!” 

No one spoke. They all just stood, shocked, as horror clouded their vision. He had given her hope, just to snatch it away at the last second.

“Hmm? Have I left you all speechless?” The students didn’t respond as Monokuma gloated. “Well, I knew I was good, but not THIS good! Puhuhu!”

Still, no one talked. Not one muscle moved.

“Huh? What’s the matter? Usually you guys all yell at me! Where’s that passion! Did I really break ya or s--”

“Stop talking. Now.” Makoto turned his head to see Junko, eyes filled with rage, staring at Monokuma.

“Huh? There we go! Someone’s shouting at me!”

“STOP IT!” Junko shouted. “I’m done, okay?!”

“Literally every one of you has had this boring ass speech before, Miss Enoshima! Spice it up!”

Junko out right growled in anger. “I’m not going to let you torment anyone’s lives. I’m not going to just sit here and let you get away with this anymore!”

Monokuma suddenly seemed concerned. “Miss Enoshima, what exactly are you implying…?”

“What I’m ‘implying’?!” Junko started. “Well, what I’m ‘implying’ is that I’m done being your prisoner! Your little...slave to just order around with reckless abandon!”

“Miss Enoshima--!”

“THAT IS NOT MY NAME!” Junko screamed, hands reaching up and touching her hair. She gripped it, fists matting the blonde locks, before she tore it off her head in a fluid motion, not caring about the ripping of a wig cap. She rubbed at her face furiously, revealing a metric ton of freckles across her face. Her hair was black, and greasy. “You used to treat me like a doll...like I couldn’t have a brain of my own...but I’m done lying. No more lies...no more betrayal...my...MY NAME IS MUKURO IKUSABA! AND I AM DONE BEING YOUR PRISONER!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song at the end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBrhjrHcWw0


	15. The Ruler of Everything-DESPAIR LIFE

Junko(?) panted, breath heaving, as her hands balled into fists. She stared at Monokuma with such hatred and contempt, Makoto could practically feel it from where he stood.

Monokuma said nothing, though his eyes didn’t move from Junko(?).

“Well?” She said. “Nothing to say? No punishment to dole out? No surprise twist for this one, huh?!”

“Miss...Ikusaba.” Monokuma hissed. “Ugh, what a gross last name that is! So icky!”

“...Junko?” Aoi tentatively asked. “Or, Mukuro, right?”

“Yes. I’m sorry I’ve lied to you all for so long.” Mukuro said. “But I’m not hiding anymore. I’m not going to keep my safe self behind the identity of Junko Enoshima any longer.”

“But, why now?” Kyoko said. “Why not earlier in the game?”

Mukuro sighed. “It’s personal now, I suppose. It was the last straw. I know that sounds selfish, but...it’s hard to explain.”

“Blah, blah, blah!” Monokuma groaned. “GOD, you are SOOO boring!”

Mukuro glared at the bear, and turned to face him. “Monokuma, I have a proposal for you.”

Monokuma suddenly stopped mocking her. “...Oh?”

“One last class trial.” Mukuro stated. “Us against you.”

“Puhuhuhu...I’m listening!” Monokuma grinned.

Kyoko stepped to Mukuro’s side. “If we can discover the truths behind Hope’s Peak Academy, and expose your identity,” Kyoko began. “Then all 7 of us get to walk free, and this killing game ends.”

Celeste took Mukuro’s other side. “But, if we fail to do so, then you get to execute us all.”

“Either way, this killing game ends.” Makoto stated. “Whoever wins, wins.”

“Puhuhuhuhu, I LIKE THIS!” Monokuma cackled. “So deliciously climactic! A final battle of hope and despair! A cataclysmic crash the likes of the world had never seen! Gah, I’m just soooo excited! You kiddies have a deal!” Monokuma exclaimed, practically hopping up and down on his throne. 

Makoto turned as the elevator doors slid open. “Once ya set foot top-side, I’ll make an announcement over the PA, and the investigation period will begin! Puhuhuhu, I can hardly wait! See you there, everyone!!”

With Mukuro at the head of the pack, the seven students filed into the elevator.

The door closed, and the elevator began it’s ascent. “Ok, mind telling us what the FUCK just happened?!” Toko shouted.

Mukuro eyed her. “Oh, right.”

“Don’t you ‘oh, right’, us!” Chihiro added. “I’m legitimately worried!”

Guilt flashed into Mukuro’s eyes. “I’m sorry.” She said, taking a deep inhale and folding her arms. She spied her outfit with disdain. “I hate dressing like this.”

“Not to rush you,” Kyoko cut in. “But could you please elaborate?”

“R-Right!” Mukuro stammered. “Well...the Mastermind threatened something very important to me at the start of the killing game. Even beforehand, I guess.” Mukuro explained. “My real name is Mukuro Ikusaba, and my real talent is the Ultimate Soldier.”

That explains her knowledge of poisons and knives… “Well...why didn’t the mastermind just have you talk as yourself?” Makoto asked.

“...I’m not high profile enough.” Mukuro explained. “The world wouldn’t miss Mukuro Ikusaba if she disappeared, but they’d get concerned if Junko Enoshima went away. It was to cause more chaos. Incite more despair.”

“That’s...sickening.” Celeste stated.

“It’s an accurate assessment.” Mukuro confirmed.

Kyoko moved in front of Mukuro, meeting her eyes. “Mukuro.”

“...Yes?” Mukuro asked.

“Can you tell us who the Mastermind is?” Kyoko asked. Mukuro’s eyes widened.

“...No. No, I can’t. The Mastermind was always anonymous when they met with me. I’m sorry, Kyoko.” She explained. Kyoko sighed.

“It’s no problem. I suppose if I knew who did the crime before I helped solve it...that’d take all the fun out of it.” Kyoko smirked, as the elevator reached the ground floor, it’s doors sliding open.

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Hello, Hello! I am so, so, so excited to announce our very LAST class trial together! While it’s sad to see you go, I’m happy that life has brought us together! As you kids know, you’ll be investigating Hope’s Peak to try and uncover the secrets behind my killing game! Just to make this fair...I’ll be unlocking every single door in Hope’s Peak (aside from the main entrance, duh), to make sure you can investigate as much as you can! But don’t get cocky, though! I won’t go down without a fight! You have 3 whole hours! Don’t waste a second! Puhuhuhu!” _

“He’s giving us an advantage?” Celeste asked. “That...doesn’t make any sense.”

“No.” Mukuro stated. “It makes perfect sense. Monokuma wants a climactic finale to this killing game. And it’d be over before it started if we weren’t playing with a full deck.”

“Then we better get moving.” Makoto responded. “We need to get every piece of information we can on the mastermind, and fast.”

“If every door really is unlocked...then we need to get to the fourth floor.” Toko pushed. “That’s where the Headmaster’s room is.”

“ _ And  _ the data center!” Chihiro added.

“Then why are we standing around?” Aoi grinned. “Come on, we have a trial to win!”

\---

Kyoko Kirigiri turned the corner, eyes widening as she saw the Headmaster’s door.

“Kyoko?” Celeste asked. Kyoko didn’t respond. Celeste grabbed her hand. A silent reminder.  _ You aren’t going to face this alone. _

Kyoko took a deep breath, and opened the door. No lock impeded her progress.

The Headmaster’s room was well decorated. At the head of the room was a dark oak desk marked with Hope’s Peak’s insignia. A pair of comfortable green velvet couches sat parallel to one another, with a long coffee table in between. Photos of past Hope’s Peak Headmasters lined the walls, their eyes harsh and their frowns deeply set. Unruly stacks of papers were haphazardly stacked about the coffee table.

“Well...I’m not sure,  _ what  _ I expected, but...this certainly wasn’t it.” Celeste mused, hand on her chin.

Kyoko walked forward, sitting down on one of the chairs. Quietly, she reached down and grabbed one of the papers off of the top.

“Mukuro Ikusaba. Talent: Ultimate Soldier. Age: 16.” Kyoko read off of the top. Next to the text was a photo of Mukuro. “Mukuro Ikusaba was a member of the legendary Fenrir Mercenary Gang, and is a prodigious warrior, coming out of any altercation with not even a single scar. She’s mastered hand-to-hand combat, firearm training, and how to fight with bladed and dulled weapons.” Kyoko skimmed the rest of the page, before her eyes locked to the bottom. Stamped in red ink were the words “ACCEPTED.”

“This is...Mukuro’s form to attend Hope’s Peak?” Celeste asked. “I knew that the headmaster is given a bunch of names, but to think he just stamps off on us like some kind of...business expense.”

Kyoko placed the page down. “Come on, let’s keep looking.”

\---

Makoto Naegi took a deep inhale, then held his breath for a moment, then exhaled. He needed to calm himself. Getting too excited would only get them all in further trouble. Inhale...hold...exhale. Inh--

“MAKOTO OPEN THE DOOR!” Chihiro impatiently shouted from behind him.

“Sorry, sorry!” Makoto apologized, opening the Data Center door and holding it open. Aoi and Chihiro filed in behind him.

The Data Center was massive compared to other rooms in Hope’s Peak. every inch of the wall of the room was covered in TV screens, all blaring a soft UV light. It hurt Makoto’s eyes, to be honest. Desks lined the floors, with large computers placed there. And a similarly large door sat at the far end, it’s color split down the middle to resemble Monokuma.

“It’s...wonderful…” Chihiro said, her programming brain going haywire, no doubt.

“I mean, it is being used to trap us here,” Aoi added.

“Semantics…” Chihiro whispered, moving to gush over the tech.

Makoto made a beeline for the Monokuma door as the others spread out to further explore the room.

“Makoto, what are you doing?” Aoi asked as Makoto reached out for the door handle.

“Monokuma said he opened every door, right?” Makoto reasoned. “That’s gotta include this one too, right?”

“I guess so...well, me and Chihiro are coming with you. To make sure nothing goes wrong.” Aoi stated, Chihiro appearing at her side.

Makoto smiled. “Thanks, guys.”

\---

“Where are we going, again?” Toko groaned, rolling her shoulders. “I’d like some more information.”

“Did you not check your student handbook map?” Mukuro laughed. “...Wait, did you guys never notice the  _ giant  _ second floor to the dorm area?”

“The WHAT?!” Toko shouted. “No, I was too busy wallowing in the inevitably of my own demise! Of COURSE, I never noticed the second-floor dorms!”

Mukuro giggled into her hands. She had recently removed her fake nails, though the rest of the outfit remained. “Well, I believe the doors were locked. They should be open now.”

“Well, that softens the blow of my own stupidity…” Toko sighed as the door came into view. Mukuro jogged ahead, pushing open the door and holding the entrance open, as Toko slid in.

Mukuro followed her. The second-floor dorms had the exact same layout as the first-floor dorms, with many dorm rooms lined up in a U-shape. Though, unlike the first floor dorms, one half of the dorm rooms seemed to be absolutely covered in rubble, the ceiling having caved in and totaled the rooms.

“What the fuck…” Toko whispered.

“...Come on, let’s keep moving.” Mukuro responded, grabbing Toko’s hand to lead her through the ravaged floor. “I think there might be a locker room around here.”

“H-How do you know so much about this place?” Toko asked.

Mukuro sighed. “I know my way around.”

\---

Makoto really didn’t know what to expect, but whatever it is...it wasn’t this.

The room behind the Monokuma door was relatively small, compared to the rest of the Data Center. It comfortably fit all three students, though they were overlapping eachother’s space. The front half of the room was taken up by a massive dashboard with a multitude of buttons, switches and levers. Above those was a massive array of screens, though right now, they were all turned off.

Chihiro approached the dashboard slowly. “...This...looks just like a RV remote. Just...with way too many buttons and actions.” She fiddled with some levers, before her hands found their way to a set of two levers. “Gotcha.” She pulled the right lever, and moved the left lever to the right, as the screens blipped to life.

“Chihiro...careful…” Makoto worried, putting a hand on the back of the chair Chihiro had sat herself in.

Chihiro only hummed in response. “I’m in control of whatever this is, but it’s not moving.” She stayed silent, apparently figuring out the programming logic puzzle she had locked herself in. “It’s receiving the commands, but the code never started in the first place.” Her eyes began searching for some sort of button, though Makoto couldn’t read her whatsoever. After a few minutes, Chihiro smirked, before lightly pushing a small button near the center of the control.

“Hello!!!” Monokuma suddenly shouted, appearing in the room.

“GAH! Monokuma, we swear we weren’t snooping!” Aoi protested. Monokuma said nothing, just staring blankly at her. 

“...Aoi?” Chihiro asked, getting her attention. “Look.” Aoi and Makoto followed Chihiro’s direction, jaws dropping open when they spotted themselves looking right at the screen, projected in glorious HD.

\---

“Find anything else?” Kyoko asked, putting down yet another acceptance paper.

“Nope. Just more files…” Celeste groaned, sitting down in the headmaster's chair. “Are you sure we’ll find something, Kyoko?”

“We have to.” Kyoko pressed. “Monokuma was keeping the headmaster’s office locked for a reason. There has to be something we can use.”

“Hm.” Celeste hummed, standing up. “Let’s sweep the cabinets one more time. Maybe we’ll find something we hadn’t seen before?”

“Good idea,” Kyoko said, moving behind the Headmaster’s desk. Her hands fiddled with the various handles and levers on the desk cabinets, pulling on them to see if they would give. After a few repeated defeats, one wiggled a bit under Kyoko’s grip. Kyoko’s eyes narrowed. She pulled, but the cabinet did not come out.

“I already tried all the cabinets. Not a single one opens.” Celeste explained.

“But this one still moves.” Kyoko retorted. “Come on, I have an idea.” Kyoko waved Celeste over, the gambler obliging and coming to her side. “I think this desk is trapped.” Kyoko explained. “There’s some mechanism behind this cabinet specifically. If we could just figure it out…”

“Usually, when a cabinet is trapped, there’s some switch or button that forces it open, but I didn’t see anything when I searched the room.” Celeste exposited.

Kyoko stood to attention, eyes scanning the room for anything that seemed suspicious. Her eyes landed on a bust of Hope’s Peak’s first headmaster, Izuru Kamakura. “He wouldn’t…” she whispered, moving over to the bust and gingerly hooking her fingers under its chin. She groaned audibly when the head gave way, popping up to reveal a button. “Are you kidding me?”

“I thought that only happened in movies.” Celeste snickered.

“Yeah, well, I guess our situation is the furthest thing from realistic.” Kyoko sighed, pulling open the cabinet. It easily popped open, revealing what looked like a student handbook. Kyoko took it, examining it carefully.

“A student handbook? Why would there be a student handbook in here?” Celestia inquired.

“It has to be used or some special purpose within the Headmaster’s Office.” Kyoko reasoned, opening up the handbook. The screen blinked to life, though no name was displayed. It didn’t show any map, nor applications. The only thing on the home screen was a switch marked “activation”. Kyoko tapped it, jolting backwards as a panel of wall flipped completely, serving as an entrance into a secret room.

“God, I hate Hope’s Peak High School.” Celeste groaned.

\---

“Mind explaining?” Toko said, leaning against the concrete walls as Mukuro picked another lock on the lockers.

“Explaining what?” Mukuro responded.

“Why HALF THIS GODDAMN FLOOR is caved in?!” Toko shouted.

“I...have no idea.” Mukuro said. “Monokuma must have done it.” 

“Then why wouldn’t he just blow up the whole place?!” Toko fired back. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“None of this does.” Mukuro responded, making Toko roll her eyes. Just in time, the lock Mukuro was picking clicked open. She smiled, opening the locker. “Jackpot.”

Toko left her spot by the wall, peering over Mukuro’s shoulder. Inside the locker was a large amount of clairvoyant paraphernalia. Crystal balls, rugs, scattered tarot cards, too many for Toko to count.

“What’s a bunch of junk like this doing in a locker room…?” Toko asked, picking up a stray tarot card.

Mukuro immediately began rummaging. After a few moments, she gasped, removing a 3-ring notebook from the mess. She flipped open the inside cover, gasping. “Toko, look.”

Toko peered over Mukuro’s shoulder. She followed her eyes. “WHAT?!” Under the “owner” section on the inside cover, it read: “Yasuhiro Hagakure”.

“But...Yasuhiro’s dead!” Toko shouted. “How in the world did he sign his name on this notebook?! It’s gonna be another trick by Monokuma.”

Mukuro flipped through some pages. “It’s...in class notes…?”

Toko took the book from her. “I mean...the handwriting checks out. Lazy and curly.” She flipped through a few more pages. “...Of course he’d doodle in the margins…”

Mukuro took back the notebook. “I...I think Yasuhiro  _ actually  _ wrote this.”

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

“UGH! What fucking now?!” Toko shouted.

_ “Ahem! Could Toko Fukawa please report to the gymnasium! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!” _

“...What does Monokuma want with you?” Mukuro asked.

Toko groaned. “Who the fuck knows, man.”

\---

“MONOKUMA!” Makoto shouted, jabbing a finger at the bear.

“Yup! That’s me! Puhuhuhu!” Monokuma responded, very happy with himself.

“Y-You said we could go into any room! That includes this one!” Aoi defended.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Miss Asahina!” Monokuma grinned.

“Wait…” Chihiro whispered, investigating the dashboard again. “Of course! I’m such an idiot!”

“What is it, Chihiro?” Makoto asked.

“Monokuma is an independent AI.” Chihiro stated. “But he can be  _ superseded  _ via direct commands from the dashboard! This is a control room for Monokuma!” Chihiro exclaimed.

Monokuma clapped. “Well done, Miss Fujisaki!” He seemed genuine, at the very least.

“W-Well, why isn’t he acting all antagonistic?” Makoto pushed.

“It’s because he’s not programmed that way.” Chihiro stated. “My Alter Ego technology is the most advanced AI in the world, and even with facial recognition, she couldn’t make up insults for us on the spot! Monokuma retains information too fast and learns new things too fast to be just some normal AI. He’s being  _ remote controlled  _ by the Mastermind!” Chihiro was grinning with excitement.

“You seem...awfully happy…?” Aoi chuckled.

“Why wouldn’t I be! Monokuma is a marvel of technology! But now I know the inner workings of his tech! Ah, I could die happy!”

“We might actually die if you don’t get whatever info you’re looking for, Chihiro!” Aoi added.

“Right! Right…” Chihiro sighed. “But…I wanna try one thing.” Chihiro leaned forward, pressing a button on the dias. She cleared her throat.

“Puhuhu! I’m Monokuma! I’m a smelly little man-child! Puhuhu! Desssspair!!!” Monokuma stated, his voice matching up with what Chihiro spoke into the dashboard. Chihiro fiddled with a few keys and levers, making Monokuma roll around on the floor.

Makoto and Aoi laughed, happy to see Monokuma insulted, and happy to see Chihiro enjoying herself.

“...Wait.” Makoto stated. “If the Mastermind was controlling Monokuma from this room…” His breath caught. “Where’s the Mastermind now?!”

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Could Chihiro Fujisaki please report to the gymnasium? Thank you!!!”  _

“...What does Monokuma want with me?” Chihiro whispered.

“What do I want with who now???” Monokuma pondered. “I’m hungry.”

\---

“This room is so...gaudy.” Celeste scoffed, taking a seat on the far too modern couch in the hidden room. “And these couches! Ugh, if you’re going to build a hidden lounge room inside your office, at least invest in proper upholstery!”

The hidden room seemed to be a personal room for the headmaster. Two of the poorly upholstered couches sat next to each other. A glass table sat between them, with a few succulents placed around for color. A large television was hung on the wall, over a fireplace. Cabinets lined the back wall, as well as a small alcove housing a desktop computer.

“Celeste.” Kyoko cut in. “Something’s...off, here.”

Celeste grew concerned. Celeste stood, and took some steps towards Kyoko. “Are you okay? What is it?”

“I...I don’t know. This room...it feels...familiar, somehow.” A twinge of pain shot through Kyoko’s skull. A hand shot to her head, holding her forehead. “Nnnh,” Kyoko groaned.

“Kyoko? Is everything alright?” Celeste pleaded, hands grabbing onto Kyoko’s arms, trying to ground her. “Kyoko?! Kyoko, answer me!”

\---

_ “Are we...in agreement?” Said the Headmaster, hands steepled in front of him. “...Kyoko?” _

_ Kyoko Kirigiri stared at her knees with a vitriolic hatred. Her hands gripped her kneecaps. She said nothing. _

_ “Kyoko, please.” The Headmaster responded. “I think you’re being unreasonable.” _

_ Kyoko laughed. “Unreasonable? Hah. You know what’s unreasonable? Forcing me into a position I don’t want, at a school I don’t want to go to. You know what’s unreasonable? Making me work in the family business since I was 5. When I was a child. You know what’s unreasonable? Leaving my life before I ever got a chance to know you.” _

_ “Kyoko, I brought you here to try and fix our relationship. I don’t want to fight with you.” _

_ “Fix our relationship?! You wanted to FIX our relationship?! HAH! That’s so sad I could almost laugh!” Kyoko shouted. “You broke our relationship when you decided you didn’t want to be my father. You’re not getting another chance. I’m not going to let you hurt me again.” Kyoko turned on her heel, and started walking for the door. _

_ “Kyoko!” The Headmaster commanded. Kyoko stopped in her tracks, hand on the doorknob. “Kyoko, as your father, I am commanding you. You will enroll at Hope’s Peak Academy, as the Ultimate Detective.” _

_ “Or what.”  _

_ “Or else I’ll disown you from the Kirigiri Detective Agency.” Kyoko turned on the spot. _

_ “You can’t do that. You don’t have the authority.” Kyoko spat. _

_ “I am your father.” He responded. “And as headmaster of the most influential school in Japan, I believe I can.” _

_ Kyoko’s words stopped in her throat. She just stared at her father. _

_ “This is for the best, Kyoko. Please, just trust me.” He continued. “Just trust me.” _

_ \--- _

“KYOKO!” Celeste shouted, as Kyoko took a deep gasp. “Kyoko? Are you hurt? Are--”

“I’m fine.” Kyoko responded. “...I’m fine.” Celeste kissed her, placing her hands on the sides of Kyoko’s face.

“Are...can you walk?” Celeste asked. “What happened to you?”

“I...I remember.” Kyoko stated, pushing herself to her feet. She leaned against Celeste’s side. 

“You...remember what?”

“I’m the Ultimate Detective.” Kyoko stated.

“Well, I could’ve deduced that.” Celeste remarked.

“Shut up.” Kyoko sighed. “And...my father...he’s the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“...What?” Celeste stated. “You’re joking.”

“No. No, I’m not.” Kyoko explained. “I need to get to his computer. I have an idea.”

Celeste helped her over to the small alcove, placing Kyoko in the chair. Kyoko sighed, and booted up the PC. The screen blinked to life, prompting Kyoko for a password.

“...Want me to go look for one?” Celeste asked, though Kyoko made no move to stand up.

“No, I think, I think I know what it is.” Kyoko said. Her hands flew to the keyboard, tentatively typing one word. ‘Kyoko’.

The computer accepted her password, fading into her father’s home screen. Of course he never even bothered to set up a wallpaper, and just stuck with the default.

“What now? Should we look through his files?” Celeste inquired. “I’m not too proficient in computer sleuthing, Ultimate Detective.”

Kyoko rolled her eyes. “We don’t have time to comb his whole computer. By then, the trial will have already started.” Kyoko opened up the file explorer app on his computer, moving her mouse to select the search bar. “I’m going to try a few keywords, see if I can find anything pertinent. You search the rest of the room.”

Celeste nodded. “I’ll say something if I find anything.”

Kyoko typed in a few words. “Monokuma”. No returns. She frowned, and typed “Killing Game”. No returns. What about…”Despair”? Two files popped up. Kyoko touched the mouse, selecting the first file, marked “Despair.txt.”

“Dear Koichi,

I’m concerned. Things have gotten so much worse here, and, I’m scared for my life, to be honest. People have started...attacking each other. I have no clue what happened to the student council, and now I’m being threatened. I have a feeling...that there is something evil inside of my school. A brewing source...of despair. I’m worried about myself. I’m worried about you. I’m worried about Kyoko. Koichi, I’m worried about the world. I hope this finds you safely, Koichi.

-Love, Jin Kirigiri.”

“Find anything?” Kyoko asked.

“I think so. You?”

“Just a sappy email…” Kyoko stated. “Though, a worrying one.” Celeste came to her side after a few moments. She silently read the email over her shoulder.

“...Love?” Celeste asked, throwing a glance at Kyoko.

“Look, I’m  _ just  _ remembering my father. Give me a second to comprehend his romantic entanglements.” Kyoko shot back. Celeste laughed.

“Right, right.” Celeste sobered. “He sounds like...some big, cataclysmic event is coming. But...the outside world is perfectly fine. It’s only been a month since we were trapped in here.”

“Exactly.” Kyoko whispered. “What did you find?” Celeste waved her over, and after making sure Kyoko could walk on her own, she led her to a small black remote sitting under one of the couch cushions.

“It’s a remote.”

“It’s probably just for the TV.” Kyoko reasoned.

“That’s what I thought, and then…” Celeste pointed the remote at the screen, pressing the on button. No response.

“Is it out of batteries?” Kyoko asked. Celeste silently shook her head.

“I think it’s for something else.” Celeste explained. “Perhaps...another secret room?”

“Inside the secret room?” Kyoko laughed. “I think you’re being a little outrageous.”

Celeste smirked, pointing at the wall of cabinets and pressing the on button. In an instant, the cabinets moved forward and sideways, revealing a hidden room.

“Outrageous, hmm?” Celeste grinned.

“Not a word.”

\---

_ “Would Aoi Asahina please report to the gymnasium? Thank you!!!” _

“Why is he calling everyone down?” Makoto said. Both Monokuma and Aoi shrugged.

“I don’t think I wanna miss out on it though..” Aoi sighed. “I doubt Monokuma would like it if I decided this was optional.”

Makoto and Aoi both nodded, before she headed for the gymnasium. After a few minutes had passed, Chihiro appeared from the same staircase Aoi had climbed down.

“Ah! You’re back!” Makoto exclaimed.

“Y-Yeah!” Chihiro responded, throwing a nervous glance to the side. “I’m back.”

“Is something wrong, Chihiro?” Makoto responded.

“Yeah, no I’m fine. Let’s just, keep investigating the data center.” Chihiro responded, brushing past Makoto.

Makoto threw a worried glance at her, before following her back into the data center.

\---

_ “Would Mukuro Ikusaba please report to the gymnasium? Thank you!!” _

The hidden room (within the hidden room) was a lot less comfortably designed. It seemed like Jin Kirigiri had just used it as a bunker of sorts. The walls were a thick concrete, unpainted. The only sort of anything inside of the room was a small desk.

“Rather...drab.” Celeste stated. “Why would the headmaster need a room like this?”

Kyoko approached the desk. On top of it was an oversized present box, a large stack of papers, and a framed photo. Kyoko glanced at the photo, trying desperately not to look at it. It was of Jin Kirigiri. He was holding up a small Kyoko, couldn't be more than 4 years old, by her middle. She looked...happy.

Kyoko unscrewed the back of the frame and folded the photo into fourths. She slid it inside of her trench coat, and continued her investigation.

“Did he...mean a lot to you?” Celeste asked.

“No.” Kyoko lied. “Let’s check out this box.” She removed the top lid, before her eyes widened at the contents. Inside the box were...human bones.

“What the…” Celeste trailed off, eyes locked on the remains.

“...Dad.” Kyoko answered.

“How do you know that these belong to your father?” Celeste responded.

“I can feel it.” Kyoko said. “The Mastermind killed him.”

“I’m sorry, Kyoko.”

“Don’t be. I can process this later. For now, we just have to focus on the investigation. Get enough evidence together before the trial.” Kyoko reasoned.

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Could Kyoko Kirigiri please report to the gymnasium? Thank you!!!” _

Kyoko stared at the P.A system with contempt. “I’m not coming.”

“Are you sure? I’ll stand by you if you don’t want to, but please consider the consequences. This is Monokuma we’re dealing with.” Celeste responded.

“He won’t kill me for not showing up. He still needs us for his climactic showdown, remember?” Kyoko smiled. “If he kills us before then, then he’s cheating. He can’t break his own rules.”

“You’re right…” Celeste grinned. “Then...what do we do now?”

“We’re going to comb through every file in this room.” Kyoko said, splitting the stack of papers in two. “Until we have no choice but to stop.”

Celeste sighed. “My pleasure.”

\---

_ “Could Makoto Naegi please report to the gymnasium? Thank you!!!” _

Well. He’s out of time. He’d delayed it long enough, but now he had to just...get it over with. He approached the gymnasium with shaking hands, but he still managed to push himself, turning the doorknob and opening the door.

“Oh!! Hey there, Mr. Naegi! At least SOMEONE decided to follow directions!” Monokma giggled.

“What do you mean by that?” Makoto responded.

“Miss Kirigiri and Miss Ludenberg! They snuck away for a date or something, because they REFUSE to come to the gymnasium when I ask them! It’s like, completely annoying! It makes me wanna throw myself in an oven and turn it on high!” Monokuma pouted, crossing his plush arms.

So Kyoko and Celeste hadn’t caved. But Monokuma didn’t mention punishing them.

“So, why did you call me here?” Makoto asked.

“Right! Ahem!” Monokuma cleared his throat. “Here you are, Mr. Naegi! A Parting gift!” Monokuma displayed a folder in his hand, holding it towards Makoto with his devilish grin remaining solid.

Anxiously, Makoto took it from him. “You don’t gotta open it in front of me, don’t worry! But I WOULD like you to look at it before the trial, mmkay?”

“...Right.”

\---

Makoto Naegi anxiously opened the folder, his hand only finding a small, thin object inside. He retrieved it, before his voice was caught in his breath.

The photo displayed 18 students. They were all posing for a class picture. Sakura Oogami was most visible, standing with her arms crossed and a large smile on her face in the middle of the shot. She had ripped the sleeves off of her uniform. Meanwhile, Sayaka Maizono and Chihiro fujisaki stood to her right, each laughing with their phones in hand. Behind them was Celestia Ludenberg and Mondo Oowada, playing poker (Celestia was winning). Meanwhile, to Sakura’s left, was Aoi Asahina, eating a donut and sitting on top of her desk. Mukuro Ikusaba stood behind her, trying to avoid making eye contact with the camera. Iore Kitabayashi stood on a desk behind her, holding up two fingers to give her rabbit ears. In the background, Kiyotaka Ishimaru was running towards Iore, trying to get her to stop violating school rules. Byakuya Togami stood in the corner, arms crossed. Toko Fukawa was asleep at her desk, a book placed over her eyes. Aiko Umesawa laughed, since she had placed Toko’s glasses on top of the book. She looks very pleased with herself. Tsubasa Kamii was smiling at the camera, trying to ignore Kotomi Ikuta trying to shoot an apple off of Yasuhiro Hagakure’s head. Kiriko Nishiawa was egging Kotomi on. Leon Kuwata sat on a desk, flashing devil horns at the camera.

Makoto held the picture limply in his hand. Every single student, even Mukuro, except for Makoto, was present in the picture. What could that mean? Monokuma was surely just trying to get in his head. That was the only answer, right? Makoto pocketed the picture, taking a deep breath.

_ Ding Dong Bing Bong _

_ Bing Bong Ding Dong _

_ “Hello? Hello! Ah, this feels so weird! Unfortunately, this is the LAST time I’ll ever get to make an announcement like this! I know, I know, it’s deeply tragic you’ll never hear my melodious alert noise ever again! But, the three hour investigation period has ENDED! Thus, the class trial may now commence! Could all hope’s peak students please report to the symbol of strength for one more class trial I hope to see you there~!” _

Right. It’s now or never.

\---

“AH! Mr. Naegi! Ms. Asahina! Ms. Fujisaki!” Monokuma exclaimed as the three reconvened at the symbol of strength. “Oh, it’s so lovely to see you all!”

Neither of them said anything.

“Not feeling’ talkative? Eh, can’t really blame ya. It’s a big occasion! The LAST class trial! The final altercation! One last round! Ahh, it’s so exciting I could BURST!”

“Do you ever stop talking?” Celestia spoke, entering the room with Kyoko behind her.

“Ohhh, it’s the little DITCHERS!” Monokuma frowned. “What, you’re too good for a one-on-one conference with Mr. Monokuma? Huh?!”

“Something like that.” Kyoko responded, as Mukuro and Toko entered.

“Ah! The gang’s all here! All 7 of you guys!” Monokuma exclaimed. “Welp! Guess there’s no time to waste! OPEN SESAME!”

On Monokuma’s word, the statue rearranged itself, the face of the bear, a symbol of dangerous strength, re-arranged itself into an elevator wholesale.

As the students filed into the elevator, though, Makoto kept his eyes locked on the plaque that had rearranged itself over the top of the elevator.

_ “Ego viam inveniam aut faciam.” _

_ “I shall find a way, or I shall make one.” _

“You coming, Makoto?” Toko asked. Makoto shook his head, and nodded. He would find a way to end this killing game, or he will make one.

\---

“Oh, I’m BUZZING with excitement, I just might overheat Welcome welcome, welcome to another THRILLING class trial! Well, I guess, welcome to THE LAST class trial we’ll ever have! It’s almost sad, in a way… I’ll never get to see your faces sadden with fear and despair ever again after this…” Monokuma pouted.

“I think we have different opinions on what the word “sad” means.” Chihiro mumbled, as the students took their normal places at the podiums.

“Regardless, allow me to explain the rules of this very special trial to you all!” Monokuma began. “I’m sure you’ve familiarized yourself with the rules of a class trial, since you’ve sat through 6 of them now, but for this special, final class trial, I want to shake things up a bit!” Monokuma stood up in his seat. “Per my deal with Miss Ikusaba, instead of solving the identity of the killer, you’ll be trying to find out the true identity of ME! Monokuma! Ain’t that swell! Though, in addition, you’ll also be solving the mystery of Hope’s Peak Academy in itself! We all on the same page?” Monokuma exclaimed. “I’ll take your deafening silence as a yes! With that said..ALL RISE FOR ONE MORE CLASS TRIAL!”

“Alright! Now fess up!” Toko shouted, jabbing a finger at no one in particular. “All of you have been conspiring against me, haven’t you?!”

“What?” Chihiro asked.

“Don’t try and deny it, Chihiro! You’re all working against me, right?!” Toko pressed.

“N-No, I was just gonna say...I thought you all were conspiring against me!” Chihiro responded. 

“But...I was gonna say the same thing!” Aoi shouted.

“What reason would you have to believe that we were working against you this whole time, Chihiro?” Celeste asked.

“The motive that Monokuma gave me!” Chihiro shouted, holding up a picture. “Every single one of you is in this picture, except for me!”

“What?! But, All of you are in THIS picture, except for me!” Toko added.

“Same for mine!” Aoi concured.

Makoto put a hand on his chin. “Monokuma must be trying to turn us against each other. When I went to the gymnasium, he handed me a photo of our whole class, even Mukuro, but still, I wasn’t in it.”

“So...he was tricking us...again…” Toko sighed. “God I’m an idiot.”

“No, you aren’t.” Mukuro said. “We’re all just frazzled.”

“Right.” Kyoko continued. “We need to turn our attention to the culprit. We’re here to expose the Mastermind.”

“I always thought that the mastermind was the headmaster.” Aoi explained. “It makes the most sense, right?”

“I mean...the headmaster would have enough power...plus the government funding to construct Monokuma…” Chihiro mused.

“No.” Kyoko stated. “The Headmaster cannot be the mastermind.”

“What? How are you so sure, Kyoko?” Makoto inquired.

“I know..because the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy is named Jin Kirigiri.” Kyoko informed.

“Wait…’Kirigiri’...?” Toko gasped. “Does that mean?!”

“You’re right. Jin Kirigiri as my father. I had a flashback while inside his office.” Kyoko informed. “We also stumbled across...his remains.”

“So...the Headmaster is dead?!” Makoto exclaimed.

“Very much so, if his skull and ribcage is enough to go by.” Celeste sighed.

“But...who’s the mastermind then?” Aoi questioned. “If not the headmaster...then maybe the mastermind wasn’t even the school at all? Maybe they’re in an entirely different location!”

“But that can’t be it either!” Chihiro protested. “Remember, Monokuma is controlled  _ remotely  _ from the data center. For Monokuma to act independently, the mastermind would need to be  _ inside  _ Hope’s Peak.”

“Stumped yet? Puhuhhu!” Monokuma cackled from his throne.

“Well...that only leaves one option…” Kyoko began. “The Mastermind is a student.”

Eyes began to dart between each student. Suspicious and fearful glances being thrown between them, though no one dared to speak a word.

“Really? A student? Oh, oh, lemme guess,” Monokuma began. “Was it...Byakuya Togami? Hm, or maybe...Kotomi Ikuta? No, wait, maybe it was Yasuhiro Hagakure? Ooo, maybe Kiriko Nishizawa planned it! Mabe Mondo Oowada? Or Kiyotaka Ishimaru? Mabe...oh, don’t tell me we’re bringing Iore Kitabayashi back! That’d be unBEARable!” Monokuma rambled, giggling to himself. “Oh, maybe Aiko Umesawa was this killing game’s dungeon master? Maybe it was Tsubasa Kamii? Our dear, beloved, sweet Sakura Oogami? Leon Kuwata? Or Sayaka Maiono? Who could it be? Who could it be?!”

“It’s none of those. And you know it.” Mukuro said.

“Mukuro..?” Chihiro asked. “Do you know who the mastermind is?”

“I...I can’t tell you.” Mukuro blurted. “They won’t me.”

“...They?”

  
“The mastermind.” Mukuro answered. “Monokuma...stop pretending. If you’re going to torment us, do it in person.”

“Nuh uh uh! You know the rules, Miss Ikusaba! You have to uncover my identity!” Monokuma giggled. “Puhuhu!”

Makoto thought. Who could it have been? Makoto ran over the deaths in his head. Then, it hit him.

“The bio lab!” Makoto shouted.

“Huh?” Monokuma said.

“In the biology lab...the mastermind was keeping the bodies of the students. And...there were 10 filled slots. There were still 10 of us alive back then...which means that..someone is still alive!” Makoto exclaimed.

“Yeah, the mastermind! But we can only accuse one person!” Aoi responded.

“Look at your photos. In mine, there were only 18 students. I was missing...and so was Junko Enoshima.” Makoto affirmed.

“...Junko Enoshima? Wasn’t that just who Mukuro was hiding as?” Chihiro asked.

“No. I’m certain. There were 20 students here. Didn’t 19 seem an odd choice? Junko Enoshima...she had Mukuro masquerade as her, didn’t she? So she could run the game!”

Monokuma said nothing.

“What? Not gonna taunt us? I’m right, aren’t I?” Makoto taunted.

“Puhuhuhu...did you think you’d won, Makoto?” He called him  _ Makoto.  _ Not Mr. Naegi.

“What…?” 

“You wanna play dirty?” Monokuma’s voice was gone. A more human voice responded. “LET’S PLAY DIRTY!”

A storm of fog filled the room, covering Monokuma completely. The distant “Puhuhu”s were not in the voice Makoto had grown to fear.

Atop Monokuma’s throne was not a bear. Instead, a girl sat there. She hugged Monokuma, just a harmless plushie, close to her chest. She looked identical to Mukuro, back when she was known as Junko, except for her eyes. While Mukuro’s eyes were a dull dark gray, her’s were a piercing neon pink. 

The girl held a golden cane in one hand, Monokuma’s head encrusted on the top. A similar crown as atop her head. Twin pins, each one resembling Monokuma, kept her hair in place. She wore a queen-like outfit, her skirt marked with Monokuma’s red eye. Ripped opera gloves were on her hands. A cape patterned like a chessboard hung from her back, alongside her platform boots.

“Well, so rude of you all to keep me WAITING for so long! Puhuhuhu!” She cackled, placing her hands on her hips and grinning. “Sorry I couldn’t blow the surprise, but a third act twist like this is just too delicious to resist!”

“You...You’re…” Makoto whispered.

“What? Stunningly gorgeous?” Junko laughed. “I already know that, but I appreciate it regardless!”

“The mastermind.” Kyoko finished for him. “The monster behind all of this.”

“Yup.” Junko said, her voice suddenly deadpan. “I’m the big bad mastermind…” Suddenly, she snapped to attention, her grin returning. “Puhuhuhu! Hold onto your butts, because the real show is JUST BEGINNING!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it just hit me that this fic is nearing it's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. thats insane to me. thank you to everyone who has started reading and who was here from the beginning! i hope you enjoy both this and the last chapter!


	16. The Ruler of Everything-HOPE LIFE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp! this is it!  
tysm to everyone who has sticked around to see this thing through! it means the world to me that you've sticked around this far!

“Ah! It feels soooo good to not be talking behind that stupid bear! It’s so nice to see all of you face to face!” Junko grinned. “Oh, I guess I should formally introduce myself...My name’s Junko Enoshima! And I’m the Ultimate Despair!”

No one talked. What were they going to say?

“What?” Junko stated, giggling to herself. “Got nothing to say to me, huh? I mean, I get that I’m breathtaking, but a girl gets bored! How about a little back and forth, you know?!”

“Your…” Toko whispered. “Your face…”

“Huh? What about my face?” Junko smiled, her voice dropping an octave. “I’ve been told I’m cuter than one hundred chihuahua’s combined.”

“No...I’ve seen your face before!” Toko exclaimed, jabbing a finger at Junko.

“Well duh!” Junko shouted, a massive grin spreading over her face. “I’m the Ultimate Fashionista, remember??? People just can’t help but plaster my face on billboards and magazines...I’m a celebrity, DUH!” Junko suddenly plopped back in her chair, sadly stroking a piece of her hair. “Aww...but won’t the world be sad when they find out that Japan’s sweetheart is the mastermind…?” Junko barked out some laughter. “EH! I’m hot, so it doesn’t really matter! They’ll forget about it in a few hours! Puhuhuhu!”

“Wait...so when...Mukuro said your photos were photoshopped,” Makoto started. “She just said that to cover up the inconsistencies!”

“OBVI!” Junko grinned. “You’re like the last person to figure this out, Makoto!”

“It’s like she’s...different people…” Chihiro mumbled.

“Yeah….I just get bored so easily…..” Junko sighed. “I even get bored of myself….”

“You get bored of your own personality?” Kyoko asked.

“YEAH! DON’T YOU GET BORED OF BEING SUCH A STUCK UP ASSHOLE, KYOKO?! I KNOW I GET BORED OF LISTENING TO YOU TALK!” Junko shouted, pointing a finger at Kyoko.

“She’s totally unstable…” Aoi stated.

“Yup! Get with the program, Aoi!” Junko giggled.

“Junko…” Mukuro started.

“Awww, it’s so nice to see you again, Muku!” Junko cooed. “You’re just sooo cute! Did you change your outfit? I like it waaaay more than your grungy military gear!” Mukuro pulled at the Junko disguise she still wore.

“But...I thought you’d never met the mastermind, Mukuro.” Makoto said.

“Wait, you didn’t TELL them?!” Junko cackled. “Oh, that’s the funniest shit I’ve heard this whole game!”

  
“Stop it!” Mukuro shouted back.

“Come on, Mukuro! You’re defiant now, right?” Junko rolled her eyes. “You got something you wanna share with the class???”

Mukuro gripped her head. “No…I…”

“Well, if you’re shy now…” Junko smiled. “I guess I’ll just explain for you!”

“N-No! Please, stop!” Mukuro pleaded, leaning over her podium.

“SHUT UP, MUCKURO! I’M TALKING TO MY FRIENDS!” Junko spat. “Ya see, Mukuro and I have a bond unlike any other!”

“You guys are...friends…?” Celeste asked.

“Closer! We’re sisters!” Junko stated, a satisfied smile on her lips. “Sisters in arms, sisters in Despair!”

“Mukuro?! You’re the mastermind’s sister?!” Makoto asked incredulously.

“Twins, actually.” Mukuro exhaled.

“Thaaaaat’s right!” Junko smiled. “The oldew sistew tough and stwong...that one’s Mukuwo Ikusaba!” Junko said, her mouth forming a 3. “And the youngew sistew smawt and cute! That was…”

“ME! HAHAHA!  ** _JUNKO FUCKING ENOSHIMA!_ ** ” Junko cackled, flashing twin devil horns.

“But! You have different last names!” Chihiro pushed. “How can you be sisters with two last names?!”

“I DON’T KNOW, MAN! FIGURE IT OUT ON YOUR OWN! YA KNOW HOW FUCKING TIRING IT IS WHENEVER A NEW LOSER ASKS ME THAT SHIT?! SHUT UP ALREADY, PICK YOUR OWN ANSWER! YOU KNOW WHO DUMB EXPLANATIONS ARE FOR? STUPID IDIOT LOSERS!” 

“What did you mean...sisters in despair…?” Celeste inquired.

“Huh? Oh, right,” Junko deadpanned, pulling a pair of glasses from nowhere, her hair miraculously in a ponytail. “Well, Mukuro is my associate. I may be the ‘Ultimate Despair’, but staging a killing game like this takes work. Far more work than just I could do. I know quite a few ‘Ultimate Despairs’, one of which is Mukuro, who have assisted me in the construction of the killing game.”

“Associate?!” Mukuro shouted. “I’m your sister!”

“Awww, don’t get it twisted, Mukuro! You  _ are  _ my sister! Just the sister me and all the cousins gossip about when we’re eating a holiday meal!” Junko laughed.

“How can you be so cruel to your own sister?!” Makoto shouted back.

“She...she was always like this, actually.” Mukuro sighed. “I...I guess it wasn’t until all of you showed me kindness that I realized how she was treating me was wrong…”

“Awww, here we go again! Muckuro Ikusadsack, crying to her friends to save her!” Junko rolled her eyes. “When we were little...did you think people didn’t talk?”

Mukuro said nothing, her fists balling up her sleeves.

“Do you think people didn’t see what was happening? That people saw how you never left my side? That people talked to you through me? That people couldn't see what was happening? It's not that they were dumb. They just didn't care about you, Mukuro!” Junko laughed to herself. “And you never fought back! You could’ve! You’re the Ultimate Soldier after all! I would’ve welcomed the excitement in my boring, boring life…”

A single tear fell from Mukuro’s eyes.

“And  _ that  _ is why you disgust me, Mukuro.” Junko said. “Not because you betrayed me. But because you’re so  _ weak. _ ”

“But...why didn’t you play the killing game with us?” Toko asked.

“ARE YOU STUPID?! RUNNING A KILLING GAME TAKES FUCKING WORK!” Junko shouted. “SOMEONE’S GOTTA OPERATE MONOKUMA, AND THEY CAN’T SURVIVE A KILLING GAME AND MANAGE IT! I’D GIVE MYSELF AWAY BEFORE ANY OF YOU CROAKED!”

“...What...what happened to you?!” Makoto spat. “What twisted thing went wrong in your life to make you this way?! Why are you doing this to us?!”

Junko rolled her eyes. “Hehehehe....PUHUHUHUHUHU!!!!! Haven’t we already had this conversation?! Regardless, it's so totally, despairingly, adorable that you think there's a reason!” Junko grinned, resting her head against her palm. “ SOMETIMES BAD SHIT HAPPENS, BRAH!!!!!!!! EVIL WILL ALWAYS EXIST IN THE WORLD, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT!!! MIGHT AS WELL GIVE INTO THE TOTALLY AWFUL DESPAIRRRRRRRRR!!!”

“She’s like a super-villain…” Toko whispered.

“Aww....you're making me blush, calling me an evil super-villain like that....” Junko giggled. “Now, I have a question for you.”

“...Huh?” Kyoko asked. “What kind of question?”

“Why, Lady Kirigiri,” Junko responded, laughing with dignity. “A question to do with the killing game of course! I want you to recall the motivational blackmail I used throughout this killing game!”

Kyoko thought back for a moment. “...The first motive...were the videos. You kept our loved ones hostage.”

“Absowutely cowwect, Kyoko!” Junko giggled. “Now, what was the second one…? OwO?”

“U-Uh, it was...a bunch of files with information we’d want, right? The ones Syo stole.” Toko answered.

“HAHA! YOU GOT THAT RIGHT, TOKO! KIRIKO KILLED THE FUCK OUT OF YASUHIRO BECAUSE OF THAT! NEXT!” Junko shouted.

“Iore didn’t have a motive. She just tricked us by making us accuse Celeste, right?” Chihiro guessed.

“Aww, you got it right again. I’m simply overjoyed.” Junko deadpanned. “What was the next one.”

“Truth or Dare.” Celeste stated. “You used our own secrets as leverage, and punished us if we chose dare.”

“Right again. But what about the next one?” Junko smirked.

“The traitor. You used the role you trapped Sakura in to make us distrust each other!” Aoi accused.

“Correctamundo!” Junko giggled, holding Monokuma in front of her face. “And…?”

“Secret Sharing.” Makoto stated. “Sayaka killed Leon because he had her secret.”

“Wow!! You got all of them right!!” Junko applauded. “Loved ones...secrets...betrayal...information...all of these are pretty textbook motives to kill.” Junko stated. “And that is what we call the Seed of Despair!”

“The seed of...despair?” Makoto asked.

“Yes! You see, Sir Naegi, despair is the antithesis to hope, but they are divided by a paper thin margin. They are two sides of the same coin, after all! Using something that has such hope behind it...like a partner...a loved one...then using it against you...it unleashes such delicious, irresistible despair! Ah~! The rush of pain, the rush of sadness from despair, I can barely handle it! My heart just might burst! Seriously, my heart beats at an abnormal speed…”

“She’s turned her own despair into some kind of fetish.” Kyoko spat, disgust coloring her features. “It’s deplorable.”

“Ever since I was born, all I’ve felt is such delicious despair!” Junko laughed. “I’ve never felt anything aside from despair! So of course, I want to share it all with you!”

Junko coughed. “Anyway, I’m getting hella ahead of myself here...you guys still have some mysteries to solve, right?”

“What?” Kyoko stated.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten! Aren’t you supposed to be the Ultimate Detective???” Junko stuck her tongue out at Kyoko. “You guys promised to uncover ALL the secrets of hope’s peak! So far you’ve only uncovered me, so get to it, kids!”

“R-Right.” Celeste sighed. “Where to start…”

“I’d like to talk about something.” Kyoko began. “When me and Celeste were in the headmaster’s office...I came across an email from my father.”

“Ooo! Intrigue!” Junko commented.

“He talked about...unrest brewing inside Hope’s Peak.” Kyoko explained. “He thought there was...a source of despair within the school. Now, It’s clear that that’s Junko.”

“Guilty as charged!” She giggled.

“But, he mentioned something happening to the student council.” Kyoko continued. “I think we should start there.”

“The Student Council…” Toko pondered. “Obviously they aren’t here, so...what happened to them? I doubt they all disappeared by natural means…”

“From what I remember from the orientation papers,” Chihiro began. “The Student Council are esteemed members of Hope’s Peak academy. Not to be messed around with. You can rarely get on the council itself. It’s one of the highest honors.”

“So Hope’s Peak would be thrown in disarray if they suddenly disappeared…” Aoi began.

“We’re onto something, but I think we’re veering in the wrong direction.” Celeste cut in. “Remember, on the fifth floor?”

Makoto perked up. “You’re right! There’s a classroom on the fifth floor labeled ‘student council office’!”

“...And it looks like the site of a murder.” Kyoko finished.

“Does...does that mean…” Aoi whispered.

“You’re right. The Student Council is dead.” Mukuro confirmed.

“Ding Ding Ding! Right again!” Junko applauded, holding up the monokuma plushie over her face, and moving it’s arm with her hand. “What will my students deduce next??? I can hardly wait!”

“But...but why would the student council suddenly die?!” Toko shouted. “And in such a...brutal fashion?!”

“It was to sow a seed of despair.” Mukuro answered. “I know, because I helped Junko do it. She blackmailed the student council members with private information. A sort of proto-motive. From there, I delivered the motive, and told them that the last one standing would get to keep their secrets hidden.” She looked disgusted. With both Junko and herself.

“No…” Makoto said. “But, when did this happen?! We just got here like a month or so!”

“Ya sure about that?” Junko smirked. All eyes turned to her in an instant. 

“...What are you implying?” Celeste sneered.

“Oh, nothing. Just food for thought. Keep going, this is getting good!” Junko grinned, mocking applause.

“Now that I think about it…” Kyoko continued. “All the files I read in the headmaster’s office paint a grim picture...but one that couldn’t have occurred within the past month. Especially not with us in the school.”

“Yeah,” Aoi began. “Plus, it’d take forever to board up the windows, set up the cameras and the weapons...not to mention construct Monokuma…”

“This is absurd!” Makoto shot back. “We got here a month ago! Then the killing game happened!”

“Makoto…” Mukuro responded. “Please. Think back to when you first arrived here.”

  
Makoto closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “I remember...walking into the school...and feeling like the floor evaporated underneath me. Then I woke up in a classroom. Couldn’t have been more than a few minutes.”

“You’re…” Mukuro began, before covering her mouth with one hand.

“Oh god.” Aoi blurted. “It wasn’t a few seconds. Oh god,”

“What do you mean…?” Toko trailed off.

“We’ve been...we were asleep? For how long?!” Chihiro exclaimed.

“Well, you’re  _ kind of  _ right!” Junko laughed. “Try a little bit harder, because this is getting repetitive!”

What was he missing? The email...the student council...being asleep...what was the link? What was--

“The photos.” Chihiro stated. “The photos of all of us in hope’s peak uniforms, with the windows uncovered! They were real!”

“Wait...do you mean…” Makoto trailed off.

“We were all enrolled at Hope’s Peak Academy? Before this game?” Kyoko asked.

“Ding ding ding!” Junko smirked. “Well done, you guys have basic cognitive thinking skills! You all get a cookie!”

“No, wait, come on!” Toko shouted. “I don’t believe any of this! What, we all miraculously got amnesia about our school time here?! That’s completely asinine!”

“Junko’s already proven she has the ability to erase memories.” Celeste reasoned. “Considering she took so much from Kyoko.”

“Awwww, you’re too kind, Celestia!”

“That’s completely circumstantial!” Toko fought. “Junko still could’ve faked those photos!”

“Remember,” Chihiro chimed in. “The pictures had no possible way of being falsified. At least the ones on the laptop, that is.”

“Yup! The only editing I did was cropping myself and you guys out of those photos. I did a pretty shit job too! Surprised you didn’t figure it out sooner…”

“So...we were hope’s peak students…” Makoto whispered. “For...for...for how long?”

“...God damn it, I’m an idiot.” Toko groaned. “Me and Mukuro found a full locker full of shit! And it all belonged to Yasuhiro Hagakure!”

  
“Really?!” Aoi asked. “Wait, but how does this figure into this?”

“There was a notebook FULL of class notes!” Toko shouted. “Looked big enough to cover a couple full school years…”

  
“ _ Years?!”  _ Celeste shouted.

“Sounds about right to me!” Junko grinned. “All those precious school memories...laughing...learning...oh, to be robbed of your youth!”

“Our...memories?” Kyoko said. “You stole years worth of our school life?!”

“I mean is it really surprising at this point.” Junko laughed. “But yup! I erased all those memories! All your relationships, all your test prep, all your search histories...Makoto, you even missed your goth phase!”

“W-What?!”

“Don’t worry I only took like, 50 pictures, it’s no big deal.” Junko commented. “You know, it’s tragic really. What you kids could’ve been. Makoto and Leon were sooo cute back in the day! Pining over each other like a couple of schoolboys! I guess old crushes  _ die  _ hard, eh, Makoto?”

“STOP IT!” Makoto shouted.

“But…” Celeste began. “No, that can’t be true. People would’ve noticed 20 ultimates suddenly disappearing. You can’t say that people haven’t tried to find us!”

“Oh they totally have, lmao.”

“Huh? Then, then how come no one’s broken in and saved us?!” Aoi shot back.

“Uhhh, DUH! I have a ton of motion activated assault cannons installed! What the fuck else would I have done?!” Junko laughed. “It’s like you guys have never planned a killing game before,”

“So...everyone who’s tried to save us...is dead?” Toko gasped. “That...that can’t be true! You can’t have killed armies and police forces!”

“Uh, I totally could’ve??? Cops ain’t shit, and those military guys in camo are just trying to compensate for their tiny dicks.” Junko laughed, twirling her cane around. “Like, if you want your wife to have an affair fine, but don’t kill innocent people while you’re at it dude.”

“How does this have ANYTHING to do with what’s happening right now?!” Chihiro shouted.

“So...we’ve been in Hope’s Peak for a few years…” Kyoko began, trying to piece something together. “And while here, the student council members were killed.”

“And then, Junko captured us?” Makoto tried. “That seems too simple…”

“You’re right, actually!” Junko laughed. “You’re missing one major piece!”

“Stop toying with us!” Chihiro exclaimed. “You can’t have gotten away with all of this while running your killing game! It’d take far too much time to build all of this!”

“Well, I had a decent amount of help, remember? Ultimate Despairs and all that…” Junko sighed, rolling her shoulders. “Well, I guess they didn’t help me make my...renovations.”

  
“Renovations…?” Kyoko began. “What do you mean, ‘renovations’?”

“Uhhh, the big metal windows and shit. Oh, and the massive guns and the security cameras. Those took awhile.” Junko said. “What, did you think a dainty fashionista like me built those all on her lonesome? That’s rich.”

“But...the only other Ultimate Despair in the school was Mukuro, right?” Toko pondered. “Then…”

“You’re on the right track.” Mukuro smiled. “It was actually you guys. Class 78th helped board up the school.”

“What?!” Celeste shouted. “That’s...that’s impossible. Why would we willingly trap ourselves in a school?!”

“Exactly!” Chihiro huffed. “There’s no reason for us to keep ourselves locked in here!”

“Maybe...it wasn’t to keep ourselves locked in…” Kyoko rambled. “It was to keep something out…?”

“DING DING DING, WE HAVE A WINNER!” Junko cackled, mimicking a gameshow host. “COME ON DOWN AND CLAIM YOUR PRIIIIIIIZE!” 

“But what?!” Makoto asked, brain wildly searching for a possible answer. “What in the world is so dangerous that we, for some reason, would lock ourselves inside this school?!”

“...Despair.” Kyoko realized.

“...What?” Makoto responded, hands shaking. “Why would we lock ourselves in a school to escape from a  _ feeling _ ?!”

“No. My father’s email said that despair had already infested the school. Implying that Hope’s Peak was previously  _ untouched  _ by despair. That it had escaped it. He wanted us to be safe. Safe from the Despair outside.” Kyoko explained, hands flying to her head. “But we couldn’t! Junko was right under his nose the whole time but it was too late to see anything! We’d already locked ourselves in a bunker with a nuclear bomb!”

“Despair...in the outside world?” Makoto whispered.

“Despair is everywhere, Makoto!” Junko grinned. “Hope and Despair cannot exist without each other. Two sides of the same coin! Even if you flip that coin 100 times, and you land on hope every single time, despair will always exist! Hope is harmony. Hope is peace. Hope is a just heart, moving towards the light. But Despair is the opposite. It is messy, and it is confusing. Despair swallows up hope, swallows up your ambitions, and leaves you lost and afraid. Because not knowing where you’ll end up is despair. The uncertainty of the future is despair. Only the unpredictability and raw pain of despair is the only thing that can save you from a boring life! Just look at how free I’ve become, with Despair as my only feeling! I’m unshackled from boredom and love! I’ve become the living incarnation of Despair itself!”

“But a despair so cataclysmic…” Toko shuddered. “It doesn’t seem real.”

“But it is.” Mukuro insisted. “Despair is a feeling that encapsulates your very being. It drains you of everything you have. Hope, life, love, until your body is empty. And the only thing left to fill that void is despair.”

“I know, isn’t it just lovely?!” Junko sighed. “Oh, I just love you all so much!”

“Do you think this is love?!” Chihiro fired back. “This is just some, sick perverted field day for you! To torture us for your own amusement!”

“I started this killing game out of love, Chihiro!” Junko pouted. “I saw you all living your miserable lives..and I wanted to bless you with Despair! Soul crushing, heart melting Despair! Every second of this game, I was only thinking of you, my beloved classmates…”

“You’re...you’re sick.” Aoi spat.

“WELL DUH!!!! YOU DON’T EXACTLY NEED A FUCKIN’ DEGREE TO MAKE THAT DIAGNOSIS, SUGARTITS!” Junko cackled.

“So...even if...even if we win…” Kyoko stammered, gripping her skull. “Even if we somehow win this trial...it’s hopeless anyway! Outside is nothing but despair!”

“THAAAAAT’S RIGHT!” Junko cackled. “Puhuhuhu! The only thing left for you out there is DESPAIR! Pure and simple!”

“But despair isn’t something that can take down the entire world! She’s just trying to trick us into a false sense of hopelessness!” Makoto fought back.

“No.” Mukuro affirmed. “The world...the world as we know it has completely fallen to despair.”

“...What?” Celeste asked, incredulous.

“Hope’s Peak is the pillar of our society. The apex of the world. Paradise on earth.” Mukuro explained. “And it was the first, and easiest, place for Despair to conquer.”

“But...then that means…” Toko stuttered, hands flying to her mouth.

“Despair has conquered the world.” Mukuro finished for her.

“Puhuhu! You finally caught on!” Junko grinned. “ROLL THE TAPE!” The screens that previously hung useless, blinked to life. Each one depicts scenes of terrible violence. People, innocent people fleeing for their lives but being chased down by Monokumas. Their claws digging deep into people’s flesh and painting the streets with their blood. Monokumas swarming the egyptian pyramids, destroying everyone and everything. Monokumas storming the statue of liberty, painting a torn eye over the statue in human blood. “AND THAT’S ONLY THE START OF MY LITTLE REDECORATING PLAN!” Junko cackled. “IN ONLY TWO SHORT YEARS, THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS KNEELED BEFORE ME! THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS FALLEN TO DESPAIR! JUST IMAGINE WHAT DESPAIRFUL ATROCITIES I CAN COMMIT AFTER THIS KILLING GAME IS OVER! AFTER YOU 7 ARE DEAD, AND THE WORLD’S LAST HOPE IS FINALLY SNUFFED OUT! OH, THE MERE THOUGHT IS ENOUGH TO SEND ME INTO ECSTASY! PUHUHUHU!!” Junko cackled, hugging herself and licking her lips. “DESPAIR INTO TOMORROW! DESPAIR INTO FOREVER!

“The entire...world...is...gone.” Makoto said. He wasn’t questioning the fact. He knew it was true. Humanity itself had fallen to Junko Enoshima. Humanity itself had given into despair. How could Makoto even hope to stand up to her? To hope to defeat her? He didn’t have a chance in hell.

None of them did. Makoto blankly looked at his remaining classmates. Kyoko shook in place, her head in her hands, tears freely streaming from her eyes. Celeste bit into her hand, trying to stop herself from screaming. Chihiro tried desperately to stop tears from streaming down her face, and Aoi’s head was in her hands. Toko stood motionless.

It was over, wasn’t it? They’d lost.

“Well, if you guys are just about done…” Junko giggled. “Then let’s get it going, shall we?!” Junko’s laughter bubbled from a quiet giggle to a vicious cackling. “LET’S GET IT EVERYTHING WE’VE GOT! ITTTTTTTT’S PUNISHMENT-”

“ _ No, that’s wrong! _ ” Mukuro exclaimed. “It’s not over yet!”

“UGH!  _ This  _ is why no one likes you, Mukuro! You’re so ANNOYING!” Junko groaned, reclining on her throne.

“I don’t care what you say to me! I’m done being a servant to despair. I know that we can prevail! I know that our hope will triumph over your despair!” Mukuro shouted.

“Look at what you’re talking about, Mucky!” Junko gestured to the other students. “You’re the  _ ONLY  _ one talking about hope and shit. Everyone else’s given up, bud! It’s OVER.”

“No. Until I stop breathing, I will never let you destroy our hope.” Mukuro shouted. “Junko!” Mukuro exclaimed.

“OHHHH my god, what?!” Junko shouted.

“How about one final fight? A final test of hope or despair.” Mukuro declared.

Junko cocked an eyebrow. “Didn’t we already like, talk about this?”

“No. This is a new challenge. A final voting time. Hope versus despair.” Mukuro started.

“Ohohoho, I like this!” Junko grinned. “How about...if Hope wins...then I set you guys all free, and...what the hell, I’ll execute myself too! But if even ONE of you votes for despair...then all of you have to stay inside Hope’s Peak Academy for the REST of your lives! Plus, I’ll execute Mukuro.”

“Wh--that’s not fair!”

“What’re you gonna do, cry about it?” Junko laughed. “ALLLLLLRIGHTY! LET’S GET IT GOING!” Junko grinned.

“Mukuro...it’s over.” Makoto sighed. “She’s won.”

“No! We’re still alive, aren’t we?! She hasn’t won yet!” Mukuro exclaimed. “Makoto….think of Leon. Think of your sister! Think of everything she’s taken from you! Do you just want to lie down and let her take everything else you have left?!”

“I…”

“Or do you want to rebel?! Don’t you want to fight back? To avenge everything you’ve lost once and for all?! We aren’t dead yet. But if we die now, then everything we’ll have lost will have been for nothing! Come on. I know you can do this! Are you just going to give into despair? Or are you going to hope? Are you going to hope, even if in spite of the world?!”

“I…” Makoto took a deep breath. He thought about his sister. He thought about his friends, his parents, he thought about everyone he loved. He smiled. “I’m sorry I gave up on you all.” Makoto explained. “But I’m not going to let you take this world for your own! I’m going to fight! I’m going to keep hope in my heart, and we’re going to win!”

“UGHHHH, YOUR TWINK ASS IS SO ANNOYING! I HATE YOUR STUPID HOPE SHIT!!” Junko groaned. “You guys suck MAJOR ASS!”

“Chihiro!” Makoto exclaimed. “Come on. We have to fight her!”

Chihiro took a deep inhale, then exhaled. “My entire life...I’ve been afraid of being myself...of standing up for myself.” She sighed. “But...being with you...being in this killing game...I’ve felt stronger than I’ve ever felt before! I’m not the weak Chihiro that the world has pushed around! I’m stronger than this world! And my hope is stronger than your despair!”

Makoto turned to Toko. “Toko? Are you with us?”

“Hhh…” Toko gritted her teeth. “This entire situation is just so...fucked! I started writing because I wanted to find love..but instead I get saddled with a fucking killing game!” Toko took a deep breath. “But...if I were to give up and die here...that’d be such a stupid way to give up. If I really want friendship...if I really, truly want love, well...I think I’ve found it here, with you losers. I won’t let my hope in my friends die, just for a quick and easy death!”

Makoto smiled, and directed his attention to Hina. “Aoi?”

“God...if Sakura could see me now...what would she say?” Aoi sniffed. “If she saw me sniffling like a little kid, scared of the future, she’d be disappointed wouldn’t she…” Aoi paused, and dropped her arms. “...No. No, I made a promise! I made a promise to Sakura that I will live! That I will WIN this killing game! Sakura wants me to live...her final wish for me was to live! So that’s what I’ll do! I’ll believe in hope, and I’ll let my hope conquer your despair!”

“...Celestia?”

Celeste sighed, her accent gone. “I’ve won every game imaginable. I’m the best gambler in the world, one of the luckiest people in existence...and yet, I can’t win this game. I can’t win a game where luck isn’t a facet.” She sighed. “But before the game ends...you never know what might happen.” Celeste smiled. “So...I’ll call your bluff, Junko Enoshima. And I promise you...my bet on hope will put your despair in the red. Permanently!”

All eyes fixated on Kyoko.

  
“...Hope...Despair…” Kyoko mumbled. “If we leave...then all that awaits us is despair. But if we stay in here...despair will just kill us again. There's no way out, is there? There’s...there’s no possible solution to this problem.” Kyoko sobbed, hands over her eyes, as if blocking out sight would block out her situation. “We’re going to die here...I’m going to die here….I’m...going...to die…”

A hand found its way to Kyoko’s, holding on tight. “Kyoko.” Celestia Ludenberg whispered. 

“I’m...going….to...die…” Kyoko whispered.

“No.” Celeste said. “You won’t.” Her other hand took Kyoko’s, bringing them together. “Kyoko, you are the strongest person I’ve ever met. Ever since this killing game began, you have never stopped fighting. You can’t give up now. You can’t just accept defeat when things get hard! We can’t just give up!”

“But there’s no other solution! Despair is the only end. There’s no way we can win, Celeste.” Kyoko responded.

“Things are bad. Things will be bad as we forge ahead. The path to Hope won’t be immediately possible. We’ll need to keep fighting, but it all starts with you, Kyoko. If we stand together, then nothing will stop us.” Kyoko finally met Celeste’s eyes. “I love you, Kyoko Kirigiri. And we can win this fight.”

“I...I love you too, Celestia.”

“Ewww, are you guys holding hands when I’m seconds away from killing you? AND before marriage? Kinda cringe…” Junko mumbled.

“Junko Enoshima, I’d say that you’ve been defeated. We discovered the truths behind this school, and uncovered your identity! Now give it up!”

“Awww...I’m defeated…? What a bummer…” Junko sighed. “Oh yeah, b-t-dubs, the outside world is like, tooootally uninhabitable.”

“Huh?!” The class erupted into chaos.

“Yeah, turns out pollution is like. Bad for the environment. So even if you do escape you’d like. Totally die within a few minutes.” Junko explained. “So like. You’re funeral.”

“She’s bluffing.”

“I mean like I’m  _ not  _ but I guess you can fuck around and find out, if that floats your boat.” Junko shrugged. “Like I said, your funeral. But I guess if you hope enough, the toxic air will just...float away!”

Makoto threw a glance at his classmates. A fire was lit behind their eyes. A need to win. A need to survive.

“Alright! Enough beating around that bush, huh??? LET’S GET IT GOING! ITTTTTTT’S  ** _VOTING TIME!_ ** ”

The podium’s tabletops flipped over, as usual. But, instead of numbered buttons, the dashboard was colored, split down the middle. Half of the buttons were lit up Pink for Despair, the others lit up Green for Hope.

“Oh, and just to be clear, I won’t be voting for Despair. It’s up to you guys!” Junko grinned.

Makoto pressed a green button for Hope. Seconds passed before the screens shifted, the same roulette wheel appearing as usual. For a minute, it spun and spun and spun. Before it landed on the guilty party.

Junko Enoshima.

“We…we did it.” Makoto stated. “WE DID IT!” Makoto grinned. “WE WON!”

The class erupted into laughter and excitement, a massive grin spreading over their faces as they broke into a giant hug. Makoto felt like crying, but not from despair. From happiness. “I knew you guys would vote for Hope.” Makoto smiled.

“UGH!!! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!” Junko shouted. “I CAN’T FUCKING BELIEVE YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!” She stomped on the ground, climbing down her throne. “THIS IS  **MY ** KILLING GAME! YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO FUCKING WIN!”

“Well, looks like we just did!” Chihiro smirked. “Ultimate Despair my butt!”

“Hell yeah!” Aoi concurred, holding her hand up a little too high for Chihiro to high five.

“AAAAAAAAHHHH!” Junko screamed, her voice strained. Her chest heaved, her pants quiet and desperate, before they bubbled up into laughter. “Ha...Ha...Puhuhu…!!!!”

“She’s...laughing?” Kyoko whispered.

“Junko. What’re you doing?”

“I LOST! OH MY GOD, I LOST!” Junko exclaimed. “Ugh...but it feels...so good! My life's work...my dream for a game like this...and right at the very end, in my finest hour, I’ve lost! This...this is what TRUE despair feels like! This overwhelming....crushing...all encapsulating….total and complete DESPAIR!”

“Oh come the fuck on.” Kyoko spat.

“Well...I’m a girl of my word…!” Junko cackled, walking to the button she’d pressed through Monokuma’s paws.

“Junko, no!” Mukuro exclaimed. “You don’t really have to kill yourself!”

“Oh...Mukuro...you never did understand me, did you?” Mukuro gasped at her sister's words, stepping back towards her fellow classmates. “This is it...this...this is true, utter, despair! The TYPE OF DESPAIR YOU CAN ONLY FEEL ONCE IN A LIFETIME!!!” She cackled, a deep red blush spreading across her face as she broke into a grin. She licked her lips, a hand scratching at her neck. “Even a tenth of this despair..even a hundredth….I WANT THE WHOLE WORLD TO TASTE THIS DESPAIR! I WANT ALL OF HUMANITY TO DIE WITH THIS DESPAIR ON THEIR LIPS!!!” 

Junko leaned over the button that would mark her death. “Let’s...Let’s give it everything we’ve got….” Junko giggled. “Thrills...Chills...Kills…! Ittttt’s…. ** _PUNISHMENT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!! PUHUHUHUHUHU!!!” _ ** Her giggles broke into unbridled, uncontrolled laughter. 

Junko slammed her fist onto the button, as the screens above her blinked to life, displaying a familiar 8-bit sprite of Junko. Monokuma waddled on screen, though Junko willingly followed Monokuma.

**CONGRATULATIONS!**

**JUNKO ENOSHIMA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY**

**TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!!**

“Puhuhuhu…” Junko cackled. “So...this is it….the most wonderful despair to ever exist...the delightful...unending despair...of death! My whole life has lead up to this moment...Puhuhuhu…” She tossed a controller onto the floor.

Junko Enoshima walked into the steel door, and let it close behind her. The screens shifted again.

**THRILLS!**

**CHILLS!** **   
** **KILLS!** **   
** **   
** **THE ULTIMATE EXECUTION**

\---

Junko Enoshima waved. Her whole body moved side to side as she happily giggled, her arm waving goodbye to her classmates. She was overjoyed. Ecstatic. She blushed a light pink as her execution constructed itself around her.

She enjoyed every single second of it.

The screen clicked, before Junko Enoshima was strapped to a spinning target, knives and arrows being shot at her from all directions. She laughed in excitement as the flaming weapons got closer and closer to her, the blades singing her body and nicking her face.

The screen clicked, and Junko was being torn and ripped at as she happily skipped down a red carpet. She yelled in excitement, her laughter polluting the air like toxic gas.

The screen clicked, and Junko was being wildly thrown about, her arms strapped to a desk, as paper airplanes got stuck in her hair and cut at her skin. Junko was giggling like a madwoman the whole time.

The screen clicked. Junko was being thrown about, her arms tied by violin strings, mimicking an elegant dance as she cackled. She was thrown against glass walls, but she couldn’t stop laughing.

The screen clicked. Junko’s legs were wrapped around a wrecking ball. She pumped her fist in the air as the wrecking ball went backwards, and slammed itself and her into a steel wall.

The screen clicked. Junko screamed an obnoxious pop song into a microphone, as Monokuma’s bit and slashed at her, though her voice never faltered. In fact, it just seemed more passionate.

The screen clicked. Junko Enoshima sat in a chair, humming to herself as she hugged Monokuma. She looked straight through the screen, her eyes seeming to meet Makoto’s. She laughed, before flashing a peace sign, as a massive block of concrete fell on her, killing both her and Monokuma in one fell swoop. Bringing an end to Junko Enoshima, The Ultimate Despair.

\---

“Is...is it over…?” Toko whispered. “Is she dead?”

Mukuro leaned down. “Oh no, she’s Junko Enoshima. She definitely has more plans up her sleeve, even after her death.”

“What? But she’s. Dead.” Chihiro reasoned.

“She’s Junko. She’ll make it work.” Mukuro laughed. “Her or her devoted followers will.” Mukuro leaned down, picking up the controller Junko had left on the floor. “And with this...we can leave.”

Makoto smiled. “We...we’re finally getting out of here, aren’t we…?”

His classmates, his  _ friends,  _ his fellow survivors smiled at him, tears brimming at their eyes.

“We still have a war to fight. But we’ve won.” Kyoko smiled, approaching Makoto, before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him close, as if Makoto might be taken from her.

“Hug!” Aoi grinned, joining in.

“Is it hug Makoto time or something?” Toko groaned, still hugging Makoto.

“Guys…”

“Come on, we won the killing game!” Chihiro laughed, joining in. “I think that’s cause for a group hug.” 

Celeste joined in. “Cheers to everyone. We did wonderfully.”

“Couldn’t agree more.” Mukuro concurred, adding her hat into the ring.

“...Right.” Makoto smiled. “Thank you.”

\---

“You know...in some...strange way, I’m gonna miss this place.” Celeste said, as they all stood in front of the exit, bags full of food from the kitchen on their backs. Enough to last them a few weeks.

“Can’t relate.” Toko added.

“You’re right.” Celeste laughed. “I’ll never miss Hope’s Peak Academy. But I guess I’ll never truly be away from the memories I had here. And..the memories I lost.”

Kyoko took her hand. “It’s okay.” She said, for once, being the one to reassure Celeste. “We’ll make new ones, right?”

“Absolutely.” Mukuro smiled.

“Alright, well, I guess there’s no use delaying it, huh?” Chihiro smiled.

“Yeah! Come on, Makoto! Open the door!” Aoi grinned, practically jumping up and down.

“Alright, alright, I’m doing it!” Makoto laughed, holding the remote aloft. He took a deep breath.

“Goodbye, Hope’s Peak Academy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY so here is my plan! This fic is the first of a few I have planned that would like. use the same energy and vision i gave here for every game in the danganronpa franchise! i also have several backstory/prequel fics that i have ideas for (namely a Celeste prequel and a kyoko prequel) so let me know if those are what you'd be interested in! see you guys in SDR2!


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